A SCHOOL BOY presented his views on conflict to political and military dignitaries at a NATO conference.

Hewood Azizjan, who is in year 11 of Isleworth and Syon School for boys, was invited to speak at the high-level European conference in Brussels which was entitled "Conflict Prevention and Resolution".

At the event on Tuesday, organised by the British Council, NATO and the Strategy and Defence Agenda, Hewood, who is from Afghanistan, shared his views on how his perceptions of the West have changed since living in the UK, and offered some ideas about how NATO might build more positive relations with locals in conflict zones.

Assistant headteacher at Isleworth and Syon, Kevin Hall, said: "Hewood has lived through the ongoing Afghanistan conflict, and his views may have helped those distinguished political and military representatives assembled at the conference to assess how best to proceed in the region in the future."

The 16-year-old said who was accompanied to the event by his Deputy Headteacher, Mr Fisher, said: "Afghans that I speak to say that before the guns and bombs, first there must be dialogue with the people."