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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Russia to ship S-300 to Syria

2013-06-08

Moscow said it was being forced to send the S-300 system to Syria's president to prevent Western "hotheads" from intervening in the country's civil war. It came after Britain succeeded in persuading the European Union not to renew an embargo on supplying weapons to Syria's opposition forces. William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said the late night deal meant Britain could begin arming the rebels from now. However, the move sparked fury in Russia, which has been implacably opposed to Western efforts to unseat Mr Assad. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said it could amount to a violation of international law. "In essence, this is an illegitimate decision and principle - to seriously discuss at an official level the theme of delivering or not delivering weapons to non-state parties contradicts all norms of international law," he said. Sergei Ryabkov, Mr Lavrov's deputy, declared the EU's decision would force Russia to ship a sophisticated air defence system to Mr Assad's regime. "I can only say that we are going ahead with it," Mr Ryabkov said. "We believe that such steps go a long way to restraining some 'hot-heads' from exploring scenarios in which this conflict could be given an international character with participation of outside forces." Syria’s government criticised the announcement, denouncing it as an “obstruction” to peace efforts. As fears grew of an arms race in the region, Israel added to the growing sense of escalation by saying it would not stand by while the S-300 missiles were deployed. "As far as we are concerned, that is a threat," Moshe Yaalon, the Israeli defence minister, said. "At this stage I can't say there is an escalation. The shipments have not been sent on their way yet. And I hope that they will not be sent. "If God forbid they do reach Syria, we will know what to do." The EU arms embargo on supplying weapons to Syria's rebels had been in place since May 2011. It was due to be renewed at the end of this month, but it was allowed to lapse following late-night negotiations in Brussels on Monday. As part of the deal, Britain and France had apparently agreed to delay any arms shipments until August. However, Mr Hague insisted that Britain could begin supplying weapons much sooner. "We have said we have made our own commitments that at this stage as we work for the Geneva conference we are not taking any decision to send any arms to anyone," he said. "But that is not related to a date of August 1. "I don't want anyone to think that therefore there is any automatic decision after August 1 or that we are excluded from doing so beforehand." Downing Street said the pledge to provide military support to rebels should help force the regime of Mr Assad to negotiate at an international conference due to open next month in Geneva. "The prime minister's view is that it is right that we have the flexibility to respond if Assad's regime refused to negotiate. What we are doing is sending a signal, loud and clear, to the regime," a spokesman said. The White House said that it backed the drive by Britain and France to ensure that Syrian rebels were capable of taking on the regime, which has launched an offensive to retake opposition territory in the run-up to an international peace conference next month. However, Russia said the decision placed the peace conference - and particularly the Assad regime's participation in it - in serious jeopardy. Mr Ryabkov accused the EU of "double standards" while Mr Lavrov said a "whole range of activities" were being undertaken to disrupt the idea of convening the conference. The British Government's strong stance on arming the rebels came under rare criticism from the Labour Party, with Douglas Alexander calling for a promise that MPs would be given a say on shipments. "Syria is awash with arms, and today it remains unclear how escalating the conflict with British-supplied weapons would help bring about a peaceful political transition after two years of increasing violence," he said. Meanwhile the Syrian rebels said they were in danger of suffering catastrophic defeats if shipments were delayed until August or later. Any help that eventually comes from London or Paris would be too little, too late, Gen Salim Idris, the head of the Supreme Military Council said. "We are very disappointed," he said. "They lift the arms embargo and I don't know what they are waiting for."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

William Hague set for climbdown over Syrian arms embargo

2013-05-27

British efforts to persuade the European Union to lift the arms embargo to Syrian rebels are likely to be rejected on Monday in the face of continued opposition from EU members alarmed that weapons could fall into the wrong hands. The foreign secretary, William Hague, is to join with the French to table a call for watering down the embargo at a meeting of other EU foreign ministers. But several countries – notably Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden – oppose it for fear that weapons might fall into the hands of Islamic extremist groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra. Germany has been trying to fashion a compromise. Perhaps the proper 'compromise' is to stay out of it and let the Syrians and various jihadi hard-boys whack each other... Britain and France have been pressing for a partial lifting of the arms embargo to the moderate sections of the Syrian opposition since last November. Hague has argued that lifting the arms embargo would complement, rather than contradict, a peace process since a militarily strengthened Syrian opposition can force the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, to the negotiating table. But Labour has questioned whether lifting the embargo is legal or politically wise. "How would the government prevent British-supplied weapons falling into the wrong hands, and how does supplying weapons help to secure a lasting peace?" asked Douglas Alexander, the shadow foreign secretary. "Syria today is awash with arms and in the House of Commons this week MPs on all sides expressed real concern about the identity, intent and tactics of some of the rebel forces. "In Washington the prime minister clearly failed to convince President Obama of his case, so tomorrow in Brussels the UK's use of the veto would confirm that the prime minister had also failed to convince our European partners." The UK-French attempt to lift the arms embargo has not been made any easier by the continued lack of unity within the rebel movement. Talks failed on Sunday to end a factional dispute over proposals to dilute Qatar's influence on rebel forces, with Saudi Arabia angling to play a greater role now that Iranian-backed Hezbollah is openly fighting for Assad. Labour argued that the EU common position – an agreement that is usually a precursor to legislation – says member states must deny an export licence if there is a clear risk that the equipment might be used to commit violations of international humanitarian law or human rights. The UN commission of inquiry in Syria reported in February that the rebels have committed war crimes, saying "war crimes, including murder, extrajudicial killings and torture, were perpetrated by anti-government armed groups". A broader package of EU sanctions against Syria must in any case be renewed at this week's meeting, and if there is total deadlock on the related issue of an arms embargo the entire EU sanctions regime could collapse. Many obstacles remain in the way of a peace conference taking place, including Russia's insistence that Iran be allowed to attend. Iran is happy to be Russia's catspaw...

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Britain

George Osborne to the EU: Change or Britain will leave

2013-01-12

George Osborne has issued an ultimatum to the European Union, saying it "must change" in order to avoid a British exit. So much for recent American warnings to cleave rather than split. Heaven only knows what would've happened had America not been run by The Smartest Man in the Room. David Cameron is preparing to give a major speech about Britain's future in Europe, which could pave the way for a referendum on EU membership. Some Conservatives say Britain should leave the EU if other members do not agree to much looser membership. The Chancellor insisted that he wants Britain to remain "an active part of a reformed EU". A Treasury aide insisted that Mr Osborne's comments were fully consistent with the Government's position that the EU needs to change "and indeed is changing". Douglas Alexander, Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary, said Mr Osborne's comments were designed to appease Conservative backbenchers. Sorta like how Mr. Boehner treats the Tea Party Pubs... Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, has used a speech to describe the ongoing questions about Britain's membership of the EU as a "massive disruption". He said it was "deeply unhelpful" and welcomed the intervention by Philip Gordon, the US assistant secretary responsible for European affairs, who expressed concern about the consequences of Britain leaving the EU. Nick Clegg this week said the Prime Minister is risking the "livelihood and safety" of millions of British people by raising questions about Britain's EU membership. The Deputy Prime Minister said that "playing politics" with EU membership could jeopardise British jobs and hamper international police operations. We're not a member of the EU, yet our two respective police forces manage to cooperate... Mr Cameron's approach is being resisted by Angela Merkel of Germany. Mrs Merkel has told the Prime Minister she has no intention of opening an EU treaty negotiation in order to provide a new settlement that can be put to a referendum in Britain, The Daily Telegraph understands.

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India-Pakistan

Zardari asks intl community to recognize Pakistan's sacrifices

2011-10-06

File under "Nobody suffers like we do!" [Dawn] President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... on Wednesday said Pakistain has been paying heaviest price in the war against terrorism and said it was determined to pursuing the struggle till its logical conclusion. "Our sacrifices exceed any other nation and Pakistain deserves and expects recognition by the international community," the President said while talking to Douglas Alexander, British Shadow Foreign Secretary at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said the meeting discussed Pakistain-UK enhanced strategic dialogue, war against turbans, recent floods, UK assistance and regional situation. The President termed the Enhanced Strategic Dialogue (ESD) of the two countries as a milestone in bilateral relationship that aims at intensifying mutual interactions in the realm of security, trade, health and other sectors including education. He said that enhanced and regular interactions as envisaged by the Dialogue would help to maintain momentum in the relationship and in convergence of point of views on important issues concerning the two states. The President also stressed the need for further enhancing economic cooperation. He said Pakistain was passing through one of the difficult phase when its economy was under great stress due to recent jolt to it by yet another devastating floods. The President said an economy, already bearing the brunt of war and last year's natural calamity, has once again been hit by rains and floods where around 08 million people have been affected. The President said that Pakistain looked forward to continued international support in trade and enhanced market access for its products in the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... . He also appreciated the UK's support at the FoDP platform. The President reiterated that poverty, lack of opportunities and sense of deprivation were among the main causes that contribute towards turban mindset. He said in order to find a permanent solution to these problems the international community needs to assist all those who were struggling to overcome these root-causes that breed turban mindset. The President said a nation who has been worst hit by the scourge of militancy and turban mindset expects recognition of its countless sacrifices, both in human and material terms. He said Pakistain wishes to have friendly and peaceful relations with all the countries based on equality and mutual respect. Douglas Alexander expressed sympathies over the devastation caused by the recent floods. He said there was a general appreciation for the sacrifices made by the people of Pakistain in the ongoing war against terror and expressed the hope that the international community would assist Pakistain in the capacity building of its institutions as well as in exploring trade opportunities and better access to the market for its products. Douglas Alexander was accompanied by Adam Thomson, UK High Commissioner, Tom Price, Senior Advisor and Jasper Thornton. Pakistain side included Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Federal Minister for Finance, Salman Faruqui, Secretary General to the President, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Britain to send £50m to Palestine

2009-12-28

Britain yesterday marked the first anniversary of Israel's military onslaught on Gaza by announcing a £50m aid package for Palestinians, including backing for what it called "a drive against extremism" among the territory's young people. They're sponsoring new textbooks? The move came 24 hours after Israeli forces killed six Palestinians -- three of them Gaza civilians -- in one of the conflict's deadliest days since the three-week offensive that began with massive aerial bombing of Hamas targets a year ago yesterday. Yesterday Hamas marked the anniversary of the conflict with protests in the Gaza city of Jebaliya, close to where senior militant leader Nizar Rayyan was killed by an Israeli bomb. But with only 3,000 loyalists in attendance, according to AP, most residents ignored calls to show solidarity with their leadership, many expressing their dissatisfaction with Gaza's economic collapse by staying at home. The British aid is in part intended to alleviate that crisis. The bulk of the money will go to budget support for the moderate-led Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah. But £7m has been earmarked to help war-stricken Gazans in the winter. Another £5m will pay for 562 teachers in UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools in the area. John Ging, UNRWA's Gaza operation director, has indicated one of the biggest challenges faced by UNRWA schools for 260,000 refugee children in Gaza is tackling extremism fuelled by the winter offensive and Israel's continued siege. Mr Ging, who welcomed the British package, has said an end to the blockade would be a major help in countering radicalism among Gaza's young. Douglas Alexander, the International Development Secretary, said yesterday: "Better education in Gaza, free from extremist influences, is key to building the region's future." Mr Alexander, one of only a handful of EU ministers to have visited Gaza in the last two years, called on Israel to lift the embargo imposed after the breakdown of the Hamas-Fatah coalition and Hamas's seizure by force of full control of the Strip in June 2007. He said conditions were "dire" with "large numbers" of children lacking shelter, access to water and a balanced diet. The Israeli military said that three Palestinians-associated with Fatah's military wing-whom it killed in Nablus early on Saturday were responsible for the fatal shooting earlier in the week of a rabbi who lives in the northern West Bank Jewish settlement of Shavei Shomron. The Western-backed PA has protested at the military's incursion which has put strains on its security accords with Israel.

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Afghanistan

Miliband urges talks with moderate Taleban in switch of Afghan policy

2009-07-27

The Foreign Secretary proposed today that the Allies should change strategy in Afghanistan to include talks with elements of the Taleban. In a speech at Nato headquarters, David Miliband said that while it was vital to keep pressing forward with the military campaign that has started to take the battle to the insurgents, it would also be prudent to start a Northern Ireland-style dialogue with the enemy. Mr Miliband urged Nato members to support the Afghan government and help it to play a role in working for reconciliation once the fighting stopped. "Taleban commanders and foot soldiers face an increasingly debilitating struggle," said Mr Miliband. "We need to help the Afghan government to make more convincing efforts to fragment the insurgency." Mr Miliband paid tribute to members of the armed forces who had died and been injured in the latest fighting. This month has been the bloodiest for the UK and Nato in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001 after the September 11 terror attacks in New York. Last week Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, the head of the armed forces, warned that British troops in Afghanistan faced more tough fighting and more casualties in the weeks ahead. Troops taking part in Operation Panther's Claw, the latest British offensive, had faced an enormous battle to break through the Taleban defences. Earlier today Douglas Alexander, the International Development Secretary, who is visiting Helmand, confirmed Britain's backing for talks with moderate Taleban leaders to help bring a swifter end to the conflict. He admitted it was not easy to argue for peace talks when British soldiers were dying. "It is a difficult message for politicians to talk about the issues of reconciliation and reintegration when British troops are fighting the Taleban," Mr Alexander told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "But I have confidence in the good judgment of the British people. I think that people recognise from the experience of places like Northern Ireland that it is necessary to put military pressure on the Taleban while at the same time holding out the prospect that there can be a political precess that can follow, whereby those that are willing to renunciate violence can follow a different path." Mr Alexander said he had last night pressed President Obama's special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, to increase the amount of US support for the Afghan government. Currently the US gives less than five per cent of its Afghan reconstruction budget to the country's central administration, prefering to spend the rest according to its own priorities. Britain gives 85 per cent. "If we do want to see sustainable development in Afghanistan, sustainable security, building up the Afghan national army, building up the capacity of the state to deliver justice, to deliver basic services like health and education, then we do need to do a better job as an international community in supporting the state," said Mr Alexander.

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Economy

G-20 aims to raise $1.1 trillion for WB, IMF

2009-04-03

[Geo News] World leaders are looking to raise up to 1.1 trillion dollars in new financing for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, diplomats said Thursday. Group of 20 leaders want the extra cash to boost liquidity and help embattled countries -- particularly in crisis-hit eastern Europe -- through the global recession. The British governmentŽs Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Timms said the G20 would ramp up IMF funds to about 750 billion dollars. Questioned by reporters about whether resources would be trebled from the current 250 billion dollars, he replied that he would ŽŽcertainly expect it to be in that area. The crucial thing... is to help the emerging economies get the benefit of growth because they have been responsible for such a large share of growth in the world economy over the last decade.ŽŽ By late Wednesday, around 260 billion dollars had been pledged by G20 countries for the IMF to help countries stricken by the economic crisis, according to the source. Canada (10 billion dollars), the European Union (100 billion dollars), Japan (100 billion dollars) and Norway have signalled that they would pledge extra cash through bilateral agreements that could boost the IMFŽs current lending capacity of 250 billion dollars, the official said. The G20 also aims to boost World Bank funding, partly by asking members to fund a total 100 billion dollars a year over three years. Earlier this month, the United States suggested that IMF lending should be trebled to 750 billion dollars. BritainŽs International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said the global financial crisis was forcing more cash-strapped countries to ask for emergency IMF funds. ŽŽTraditionally, IMF resources have often been required in circumstances where national economies have got into classic balance of payments difficulties,ŽŽ Alexander said at a press briefing. ŽŽWhat we are now experiencing are countries who are obliged to consider approaching the IMF not because of decisions that have been reached domestically, but because of the impact of the global crisis.ŽŽ Alexander added that G20 leaders would consider reform of the IMF in terms of conditions attached to getting funds, as well as the level of cash available. Romania, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Serbia and Ukraine in Europe and Pakistan, Mexico and others elsewhere have sought emergency IMF cash in recent weeks. ŽŽWith the expected calls on IMF resources in eastern Europe, the present level of resourcing for the IMF -- about 250 billion dollars -- is broadly judged not to be adequate,ŽŽ British minister Timms said. That was why G20 finance ministers had last month anticipated that IMF funding would double to some 500 billion dollars, Alexander added.

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Africa Subsaharan

Britain plotting invasion of Zimbabwe: Mugabe

2008-12-08

Zimbabwe's government has accused former colonial ruler Britain of using a cholera epidemic to rally Western support for an invasion of the collapsing southern African nation, a state-run newspaper said on Sunday. The Brits can't defend the Falklands. How are they going to invade Zimbabwe? President Robert Mugabe is under mounting pressure from the international community, especially Western nations which accuse him of ruining the once prosperous country and exposing its people to famine and disease. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has branded Mugabe's government a "blood-stained regime" and said it was responsible for the cholera epidemic that has killed at least 575 people. The world must tell Mugabe "enough is enough", he said. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday the veteran leader's departure from office was long overdue. "I don't know what this mad prime minister (Brown) is talking about. He is asking for an invasion of Zimbabwe ... but he will come unstuck," Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba told the state-controlled Sunday Mail. The growing Western criticism signalled a plot to oust Mugabe's government militarily, Charamba said. The government often blames Britain and other Western nations for Zimbabwe's economic meltdown, saying that targeted sanctions against Mugabe and his inner circle have sabotaged the economy. African nations are also growing more uncomfortable with Mugabe, though they still view the 84-year-old as a hero of Africa's liberation era. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Botswanan Foreign Minister Phandu Skelemani have called for his removal, as has South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel laureate. Archbishop of York John Sentanu agreed but went further, writing in the Observer weekly that "Mugabe and his henchmen" should face trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. "The time to remove them from power has come." Douglas Alexander, Britain's international development secretary, said on Sunday it was important that Africans led the opposition to Mugabe's government. "Now is the time for Africa to stand up and be counted. The old bonds of the liberation struggle must give way to the common bond of humanity," he said in a statement. Zimbabwe is on the verge of collapse. Food stocks are running out, unemployment is above 80 percent and prices double every 24 hours. The health system is in tatters, unable to treat many of those infected with cholera. The epidemic has forced Zimbabwe to declare a national emergency and appeal for foreign help. Britain is among European nations that have promised aid. South Africa, Zimbabwe's richest neighbour, has also pledged aid and officials will assess the scale of the crisis on Monday. The European Union is considering imposing new sanctions against Zimbabwe next week unless progress is made in breaking the deadlock between Mugabe and the opposition MDC over how to implement a power-sharing deal. Sanctions: Mugabe and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai agreed on September 15 to form a unity government, but are in dispute over control of key ministries. Charamba said Western sanctions, which Harare says are punishment for its seizure of white-owned farms, have made it harder to deal with health crises like the cholera outbreak.

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India-Pakistan

UK alleges misuse of aid given to Pakistan for polio vaccines

2008-06-30

Britain has protested over what it calls misuse by the finance ministry of the £15 million assistance for procuring polio vaccine, according to sources in the British High Commission. The issue is likely to affect another £280 million British aid Pakistan expects to get under the National Health Facility Part-II for the next three years. British Secretary of State for International Development Douglas Alexander, the sources claimed, would raise this issue with Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, during a meeting with him here on Thursday. Britain’s Department of International Development had provided the assistance in response to Pakistan’s request to international donors in February. Pakistan had told donors that it had run out of funds for purchasing vaccines and the situation had become so grave that there was a serious threat of discontinuation of the polio campaign across the country. The country needs 100 million doses a year to vaccinate 35 million children. This year, because of wild-eyed kooks resource constraints, the government bought only 20 million doses and the health ministry had to turn to donors for the remaining 80 million doses. Britain responded to the emergency request and provided the aid with conditions that it should be used only for polio vaccine procurement and the entire amount should be spent by June 30. The Planning Commission directed the health ministry to purchase the vaccine and asked the finance ministry to release the amount to the health ministry. After buying the vaccine, the health ministry approached the finance ministry, but it was told that the funds had been used for the ‘balance of budget’. Shocked to learn that its assistance had been misused, the British Department for International Development wrote a letter to Finance Secretary Farrukh Qayyum, asking him to ensure that the amount was used for the intended purpose. “The amount (£15 million) was transferred to the government of Pakistan in March 2008 on the understanding that these funds would be used in the FY 2007-08. “The Ministry of Health has completed the vaccine procurement process and polio vaccine is now available for National Immunisation days. However, we are surprised that no funds have been released to the Ministry of Health for payment to the vaccine suppliers to date,” the letter said. The letter further stated: “We are concerned that this delay in payment could impact negatively on future vaccine procurement, and that postponement of payment until July could reduce the funds available for vaccine purchase in the next financial year.” The Economic Affairs Division, which coordinates all international funding, has also urged the finance ministry to promptly address the issue. Pakistan’s fight against the crippling disease is already faltering primarily because of poor governance and lack of accountability and 15 polio cases have already been reported ahead of the peak transmission season during the later part of the year. No statement at all about how the polio vaccine is a plot to sterilize the men-folk, but that's the real reason why the money was diverted ... Some see Pakistan to be lagging behind even the war-torn Afghanistan that has reported fewer cases so far this year.

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Afghanistan

NATO: Afghan insurgency is contained

2008-02-04

More than six years since the Taliban were ousted from power in Afghanistan, the militant movement is being "contained," with some 70 percent of violence last year occurring in just 10 percent of the country, NATO said. The upbeat assessment Sunday contrasted reports that a resurgent Taliban are challenging the U.S. and its allies. It also comes as several of NATO's European members are refusing to send soldiers to Afghanistan's south, the scene of most of the fighting, opening a rift with the U.S. and others that have borne the brunt. Three-quarters of Afghanistan suffered just one violent incident per week last year, Lt. Col. Claudia Foss, a spokeswoman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force told a press conference in Kabul. "It is becoming increasingly clear that the insurgent movement is being contained," Foss said. Within Pakistan. For now. It is pretty much contained: to the Pashtun areas, and mostly in the deep rural Pashtun areas. There's only been a few (spectacular) incidents in Kabul, and little in the north. If you want to see where all the fighting is, on both sides of the border, just find the Pashtuns. More than 6,500 people — mostly insurgents — died in violence in 2007, according to an Associated Press count of figures provided by local and international officials. It was the bloodiest year since the U.S.-led toppling of the Taliban in 2001. An independent study co-chaired by retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones and former U.N. Ambassador Thomas Pickering warned last week that Afghanistan risks becoming a failed state because of deteriorating international support and the growing insurgency. On Sunday, a British Cabinet minister called on allies to send troops to the south. "We have made clear to our NATO partners that we do want to see appropriate burden sharing, not just in the number of troops on the ground but where those troops are committed within Afghanistan," Douglas Alexander, British International Development Secretary, told the British Broadcasting Corp. Germany in particular has been resisting pressure to deploy troops to the south. Germany insists its parliamentary mandate is for its 3,500 soldiers to serve along the northern border, only helping out in the south for a limited period. Canada, meanwhile, is threatening not to extend its military mission in Afghanistan after 2009 unless another NATO country sends more soldiers to the south. Canada maintains 2,500 troops in Kandahar province. It has lost 78 soldiers and one diplomat since joining the U.S.-led mission. The U.S. contributes one-third of NATO's 42,000-member International Security Assistance Force mission, making it the largest participant. The U.S. has an additional 12,000 to 13,000 troops there involved in counterterrorism operations.

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Britain

Brown hails alliance with America

2007-07-30

Gordon Brown today flies to Washington for his first summit with President George Bush, after issuing a ringing endorsement of Britain's 'special relationship' with the US. As he prepares the Labour party for a possible election next spring, the Prime Minister attempted to neutralise the divisive issue of the transatlantic alliance with a declaration of where Britain's interests lie. 'It is in the British national interest that the relationship with the United States is our single most important bilateral relationship,' the Prime Minister said in remarks that are designed to make it clear that Brown will not abandon the Atlantic alliance for cheap electoral gain. Reality always sets in, doesn't it? Brown's unequivocal declaration, as he prepares to hold his first talks as Prime Minister with President Bush over dinner at Camp David, is a strong signal of his determination to maintain the Atlantic alliance, after Washington had been alarmed by what it saw as mixed messages from London. Lord Malloch Brown, the Foreign Office Minister, had said that Britain should no longer be 'joined at the hip' with America. And now he's been set straight. While Brown sends warm signals to Washington, he is unlikely to personally align himself so closely to Bush in the way Tony Blair did. The Brown camp knows that the perception of Blair as Bush's 'poodle' was a key factor in undermining the former Prime Minister, which in turn damaged Labour in the polls. Brown has spent the past month attempting to wipe out such negatives as he prepares the ground for the next election. At a special political session of the cabinet at Chequers on Thursday ministers agreed that Douglas Alexander, the election co-ordinator, would place the Labour party on an election footing. Ministers discussed the possibility of calling an election as early as this autumn to exploit the 'Brown bounce' in the polls. The Prime Minister believes it would be wrong to call a snap election because he feels it is important to prove to voters that he can deliver change. But a spring election next year looks increasingly likely after ministers heard a glowing report based on Labour's private polling. There is also concern that Brown should act quickly before a feared economic downturn. The cabinet was told that all the negative aspects about Brown - that he was seen as scruffy, a plotter after last September's mini coup, as well as a divisive figure - have now been replaced by positive views, as he is seen as a serious figure who is uniting his party and who dresses well. However, David Cameron's ratings have headed in the opposite direction, according to Labour's polling. Positive views about him - that he was likeable, young and energetic - have been replaced by negative views that he is shallow and addicted to spin. Ministers were told that these views are beginning to harden. Brown made clear he is an ardent Atlanticist when he said no major global problems could be solved without the US. 'We know that we cannot solve any of the world's major problems without the active engagement of the US. And just as Britain and America have always stood side by side in tackling the great global challenges of the past, so we will continue to work very closely together as friends to tackle the great global challenges of the future. 'The relationship between an American President and a British Prime Minister will always be strong, and I am looking forward to my meeting with President Bush to discuss how we can work together to meet many of the great challenges we face.' Brown and Bush will meet over dinner tonight at the presidential retreat of Camp David, where they will discuss Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, the Middle East peace process and climate change. Brown is also set to meet Ban Ki Moon, the UN secretary-general, tomorrow in New York.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

UK resumes financial aid to Palestinians

2007-07-18

Britain resumed direct financial support to the Palestinian Authority to help pay debts and free up funds for salaries in the territories, officials said Tuesday, urging other donors to follow suit. The move came after US President George W Bush called for a conference to revive Middle East peace talks and announced a direct US contribution of 80 million dollars to help president Mahmud Abbas reform his security services. Britain’s 6 million dollar aid package is aimed at helping the Palestinian Authority pay debts to suppliers in order to free up funds to pay public sector salaries, British officials said. The money will be funnelled through the Abbas-headed ministry of finance and monitored by an international accounting firm. “The recent conflict in Gaza has compounded the hardships faced by the millions of ordinary Palestinians in trying to live normal lives,” International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said. The Islamist Hamas movement seized power last month in the Gaza Strip from its secular Fatah rivals in the Palestinian Authority, rupturing the unity government they had formed months earlier.

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