Helen Clark, New Zealand's prime minister

A comment by Helen Clark, New Zealand's prime minister, about whether it was time for the Union flag to be removed from New Zealand's flag has ignited a debate about whether her country should become a republic. Although it has been independent from Britain for 60 years it still has the Queen as head of state and many see removing the Union flag as the first step toward establishing a republic.

 

She joins Sir David Frost to discuss this, revealing that in her opinion it is "a question of not if but when [New Zealand will become a republic]. But that time is not now".

 

Watch Helen Clark New Zealand Prime Minister on youtube.

 

 

Dr. Salah al-Shaikhly, the Iraqi ambassador to the UK

Salah al-Shaikhly, the Iraqi ambassador to the UK, talks to Sir David Frost about the role of private security firms in Iraq, the presence of British and American forces and the future of his country.

The ambassador suggested that Blackwater, the private American security firm that was involved in a shoot-out last month that left 11 Iraqis dead, had "overstepped their terms of duty" and had used unnecessary force, describing the firm's recent behaviour as "absolutely unacceptable".  

He also reveals that despite the partial withdrawal of UK forces, Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, had reiterated the UK's commitment to Iraq in a recent private meeting. 

 

The told Frost Over The World that his government had documentary evidence of Iranian involvement in the southern city of Basra, and that it is part of a "worrying" regional power struggle.

 

 

Mark Penn, Hillary Clinton's strategist

The US presidential elections are still more than a year away but the campaigns are already in full-swing and for the first time in more than 50 years no former president or vice-president looks likely to run. This means that there are a lot of new players jostling for influence and in a new feature on Frost Over The World we will be introducing you to some of the new players in American politics.

 

Our first portrait is of Mark Penn who is a multi-millionaire businessman, the author of Microtrends, which catalogues America's small but influential niche groups, and Hillary Clinton's strategist.

Watch Salah al-Shaikhly and Political portraits on youtube.

 

 

The author and former supermodel talks to Sir David Frost about her ex-husband, photographer David Bailey, compares the life of model's today with those of her generation, and discusses her thoughts on monogamy, keeping fit and the size zero controversy.

Watch Marie Helvin on youtube.

 

 

John Guernsey became a bishop of the Church of Uganda in the US

The row over homosexuality continues to threaten to break up the Anglican section of the Christian church. The division erupted following the ordination by the US Episcopal Church of the openly gay Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire.

 

Earlier this month an American bishop, John Guernsey, was consecrated as a bishop in the Church of Uganda but he continues to be based in the US.

 

He joins Sir David Frost to discuss how the ordination of a gay bishop triggered not only his decision to join the Church of Uganda but is also a central reason for the split of the Anglican church into two different wings, which he says hold contradictory and competing truths that cannot be reconciled.

 

 

The Ukraine's Orange parties are once again on the verge of victory following last Sunday's snap parliamentary elections.

 

Roman Zvarych, the former Ukrainian justice minister, joins the show to discuss the elections and the future of the country.