From the New Duranty Times:
BLACKBURN, England, April 1 “” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice faced more protests and public embarrassment here on Saturday that have turned a trip meant to be a friendly follow-up to an American trip by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw into a two-day run through a raucous, mishap-ridden gantlet.
She was heckled by protesters and faced criticism from Muslim leaders hand-selected to meet with her by the Foreign Office during a visit here, the hometown of Mr. Straw. He visited Ms. Rice’s hometown in Alabama in October…
In a news conference, Ms. Rice said she was “enjoying this visit very much.” She described the meeting with the Muslim leaders as “immensely stimulating and interesting.”
Although the names of the 21 Muslim leaders had been made public, several of them requested that their names not be published or broadcast, for fear of repercussions. Five who agreed to be interviewed clearly feared they might be viewed as traitors.
“We are here to represent the views of the thousands of protesters out there,” said Kamrudden Kotha, the leader of a business federation. “We talked to them about the perceived double standard of American foreign policy. But I am not naive enough to think we will change American foreign policy.”..
On Friday, Ms. Rice had to content herself with a visit to the Liverpool school where Paul McCartney studied instead of meeting him “” and had to face a short line of students wearing T-shirts that said: “No torture. No compromise.” During a visit to a school in Blackburn, she was greeted with chants of “Condi Rice go home!”…