Lord Malloch-Brown, the controversial Foreign Office minister, was in a fresh row last night after telling senior members of the Syrian regime of his willingness to speak for them on the world stage. The remarks were reportedly made last week at a reception hosted by Sami Khiyami, the Syrian ambassador. One witness said the minister told the Syrians: "Think of me as your man in the Cabinet." Lord Malloch-Brown denies making the comment.The reception was held to mark the visit of Abdullah Dardari, Syria's deputy prime minister. He and Lord Malloch-Brown are said to be close friends from when they worked at the United Nations in New York. The Arabic newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi, whose correspondent attended the reception, said Lord Malloch-Brown gave an "emotional" speech, recalling how he had considered himself to be "representing Syria inside the UN". The minister also spoke warmly about Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president.
The speech may fuel doubts about Gordon Brown's wisdom in appointing Lord Malloch-Brown. The White House accuses Syria of supporting Iraqi insurgents and Lebanon's Hizbollah movement. Lord Malloch-Brown was appointed by the Prime Minister as part of his "government of all the talents" and has permission to attend Cabinet meetings.
One guest at the reception told The Daily Telegraph: "People were startled by how effusive he was, especially when he said, 'Think of me as your man in the Cabinet'." A Syrian embassy official said: "It was a courtesy, a kind thing to say. He was saying he would do his best to narrow the gaps between the two countries."
Bernard Jenkin, a Conservative member of the Commons defence committee, said: "This is another clumsy outburst, which reinforces the impression that the Foreign Office exists to represent foreigners instead of British national interests."