Islamists can meet in London , minister .
ISLAMABAD 1996-08-27
British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind said on Tuesday that his government would only take action against a planned conference of Islamist groups in London if British law was broken .
" People who wish to hold conferences of course do n't need to seek permission from the government in Britain , " Rifkind , in Pakistan for a visit , told Reuters . "
As long as they obey our laws then that is not something the government would normally interfere with . "
The Islamist conference , due to be held in London on September 8 , has caused concern in countries such as Algeria and Egypt , which are fighting armed Islamic militants .
British Jewish groups have also protested because they say members of Algeria 's Islamic Salvation Front ( FIS ) and the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas are on the guest list .
Rifkind said it was for the home secretary ( interior minister ) to act by denying visas to participants if he felt there was reason to believe that they might break the law .
" Our policy has to be fundamentally based on respect for the rule of law and insistence that it be observed , " he said .
Rifkind was in Pakistan at the start of an Asian tour that will also take him to India , Sri Lanka , Japan and Mongolia .