JACK STRAW has urged Liverpool to welcome US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with the "warmth the city is known for".
In an open letter, the Foreign Secretary said the visit would have many benefits for the UK.
He said he understood some who opposed the Iraq war would want to "make their feelings known", and that peaceful protest was a "proper part of democracy".
He added: "I am delighted that through the visit the eyes of the world will be on Liverpool, and that your success story will be seen by so many people."
It comes after news of Ms Rice's impending arrival prompted the Stop the War Coalition to organise protests outside The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA), when she visits on Friday.
Already poet Roger McGough has pulled out of his booking to compere the Celebration of Liverpool concert at the Phil, and Mona Lisa actress Cathy Tyson turned down an offer to step into the role.
But Mr Straw says he believes Ms Rice's intelligence, talents and background as a child in Alabama, may endear her to the public.
He wrote: "Secretary Rice is without doubt one of the most powerful people in the world.
"She is also a human being and the product of her race, her religion, her background."
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