WORLD / Europe
US still top British ally: new UK foreign minister
(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-07-15 14:24
New British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, seeking to squash
speculation that London may distance itself from Washington over Iraq,
has insisted the U.S. is still Britain's number one ally.
Since Gordon Brown took over from Tony Blair as British prime minister
last month, he has been at pains to stress there is no cooling off in
Anglo-American relations -- but two of his ministers offered mixed
signals.
Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said in a speech in Washington
that while Britain stood beside the United States in fighting terrorism,
isolationism did not work in an interdependent world.
Then Foreign Office Minister Mark Malloch Brown followed up in a weekend
interview by saying that Britain had to nurture a wider range of allies
and predicting London and Washington would no longer be "joined at the
hip."
Blair's decision to back President George W. Bush and go to war in Iraq
sent his popularity plummeting in Britain and contributed to his
departure after a decade in power. He was lampooned as "Bush's poodle."
The change of premiership has prompted speculation that Britain might
accelerate troop withdrawals from Iraq. Britain has been gradually
reducing numbers in Iraq and now has about 5,500 troops in the south.
Miliband, writing in the News of the World tabloid, said there would be
no change to the so-called "special relationship" between London and
Washington.
"With a new Brown government, some people are looking for evidence that
our alliance is breaking up. There isn't any and there won't be any," he
wrote.
"Nothing has changed. Our strongest bilateral relationship is with the
USA," he said.
Brown is flying to Berlin for talks on Monday and plans to visit Paris
and Washington after that.
He has said he will continue to work closely with the U.S. administration.
"We'll not allow people to separate us from the United States of America
in dealing with the common challenges we face around the world," he said,
when asked to comment about minister Douglas Alexander's words.
Brown may have been forced to step in and seek to reassure Washington
there is no major change in foreign policy -- but his popularity shows no
signs of fading after he finally took over as prime minister after a
decade in the wings.
An ICM survey in the Sunday Telegraph showed the Labour Party enjoyed its
best poll position for almost two years -- 40 percent compared to 33
percent for the opposition Conservatives and 19 percent for the centrist
Liberal Democrats.
In a News of the World poll, 53 percent felt Brown was best equipped to
lead Britain compared to just 27 percent for David Cameron, the youthful
Conservative leader who has rejuvenated his party after three electoral
drubbings.
Email Story IM Story Printable View RECOMMEND THIS STORY
Recommend It:
Average (121 votes)
? Recommended Stories
Politics News
Edwards, Clinton chided for exchange AP Bush deflects criticism on Iraq
war AP Gilmore drops presidential candidacy AP Obama: Shift troops to
fight al-Qaida AP Edwards calls Iraqi leader weak AP Most Viewed -
Politics
Bush deflects criticism on Iraq war AP Gilmore pulls out of presidential
race Reuters Edwards, Clinton chided for exchange AP Gilmore drops
presidential candidacy AP India seen sticking to guns at U.S. nuclear
talks Reuters
Politics Video
Top World News
� Bin Laden appears in new video
� N.Korea shuts down nuclear reactor
� US still top British ally: new UK foreign minister
� N.Korea to shut down nuclear reactor
� 102 killed in Lal Masjid operation in Islamabad: official
Today's Top News
� China's pork prices continue to rise: ministry
� Floods make comeback on Huaihe river
� Bin Laden appears in new video
� N.Korea shuts down nuclear reactor
� Unit by unit,energy use improving
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
Learn Chinese, Chinese Online Class, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet
No comments:
Post a Comment