Their clarification, in a letter to Mr Annan, was opaque.

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He later issued a letter of clarification stating that "all political parties were concerned with the potential political advantage" - a move described as "bizarre" by Scotland's deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

BBC: Mr Gould was concerned about the reaction to his report

Mr. Ottaway, in his letter, also asked for clarification of what relationship Mr. Heywood had with the British Consulate-General in Chongqing, where Mr. Heywood was found dead, or the British Embassy in Beijing.

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Clarification came last week in the form of an opinion letter from Delaware's State Escheator.

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Perhaps most notably, eight members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, wrote a letter to Google CEO Larry Page asking for clarification about the changes.

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