WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Jim Saxton (NJ-3rd) returned to the United States last night from England, concluding visits with British officials on the heels of a six-nation tour in the Middle East.

Saxton led a bipartisan group of Members of the United States House of Representatives.

In England, Saxton met with Members of Parliament. From the House of Commons Defense Committee, he met with Defense Committee Chairman Bruce George, and Members Gerald Howarth and Kevan Jones. From the House of Lords, he met with Baroness Liz Symons, who is also the Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (similar to the U.S. State Department). Mr. Saxton also met with John Sawers and Desmond Bowen of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

"We share many common views in helping to foster a new, free Iraq," Saxton said. "We discussed the solid progress that has been made in recent months to rebuild the country."

Saxton said the low points of the trip were the loss of life in the recent bombings at the Turkish Embassy and the Baghdad Hotel. The high points were the many Iraqi civilians who expressed appreciation for the U.S. efforts to open hundreds of schools and restore power and water services throughout the country.

"The vast majority of Iraqis are trying very hard to make the country a safer place to live," Saxton said. "The U.S. soldiers we spoke to had good morale and were focused on their mission. And our allies greeted us warmly and gave us strong signs of support and cooperation in rebuilding Iraq."

In addition to Iraq, Saxton also visited Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Turkey.

Saxton is the highest-ranking Member of the bipartisan delegation, which was on a fact-finding mission to Iraq. Four other Members of Congress were in the delegation. Congressmen John McHugh of N.Y., Jim Turner of Texas, John Kline of Minn. and Mike Turner of Ohio.

He met with Iraq Chief Administrator Ambassador Paul Bremer and Iraqi interim government leaders, as well as students, parents and teachers, and workers at reopened plants. He also met with U.S. troops and officials from various nations he visited in the region.

In Turkey Saxton met with Turkish Foreign Ministry officials, thanking them for the Turkish Parliament's recent decision to send up to 10,000 troops to help stabilize Iraq.

He met with Prince Sultan of Saudi Arabia, who is the Saudi Minister of Defense and head of that country's counter-terrorism efforts. He also met the Crown Prince of Bahrain, who is the equivalent of a Secretary of State.

Saxton chairs the newly created House Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, an extension of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC). Saxton is the fourth-highest ranking member of HASC, which organized the Saxton Delegation's trip.