Jack Straw invites Condoleezza Rice to England

London, Feb 25:British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw today (Feb 25, 2006) said United States (US)Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had agreed to pay a visit to his home town in northern England to repay a trip he made to Alabama last year.

Straw, who visited Rice's home state of Alabama last October, did not specify when the trip would take place for security reasons but the British foreign office said it was expected to be later this year.

"I am delighted that she has accepted and will be able to see how modern Britain is thriving and not just in the London venues with which she is familiar," Straw said in a statement.

"I will be proud to show Condoleezza Rice the city of Liverpool and my own constituency, Blackburn, during this visit. As in Alabama, we will take the opportunity to make speeches together on foreign policy." He said Liverpool, the home city of the Beatles and Blackburn, a former mill town that would not usually be on a top list of United Kingdom (UK)tourist destinations, were both great places with great futures.

During his US visit last year, Straw was greeted with bemusement by some Alabamans, with many struggling to name him describing him simply as 'Mr England.'

REUTERS