Britain outlines ”agile” new foreign policy

LONDON: British foreign policy under its new government will aim to “inspire others with our values of political freedom and economic liberalism”, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Thursday.

Hague also stressed the coalition government”s desire to build stronger ties with emerging nations in southeast Asia, Latin America, the Gulf and Africa, while insisting the US would remain “our most important relationship.”

With Britain facing a tight spending squeeze as it battles to cut a record deficit, he insisted that such goals were affordable and required “more effective use” of existing resources.

Hague”s comments came in his first major speech since David Cameron”s government took office in May, before an audience of diplomats and journalists at the Foreign Office in London.

He called for an “agile and energetic” British foreign policy including improved bilateral relationships.

“What I call our enlightened national interest requires a foreign policy that is ambitious in what it can achieve for others as well as ourselves, that is inspired by and seeks to inspire others with our values of political freedom and economic liberalism, that is resolute in its support for those around the world who are striving to free themselves through their own efforts from poverty or political fetters,” he said.

“It is not in our character as a nation to have a foreign policy without a conscience or to repudiate our obligation to help those less fortunate.

“Our foreign policy should always have consistent support for human rights and poverty reduction at its irreducible core and we should always strive to act with moral authority, recognising that once that is damaged it is hard to restore.”

Britain”s image in some parts of the world was damaged in recent years by its involvement in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars which the country joined under the Labour administration of Tony Blair, who was replaced in 2007 by Gordon Brown.

Blair”s first foreign secretary Robin Cook vowed to pursue an “ethical dimension” to foreign policy when that government took office in 1997.

Some experts questioned whether Hague”s vision was new, and whether British foreign policy could really change radically under the current economic circumstances.

George Walden, a former diplomat and Conservative lawmaker told BBC radio: “The trouble with making speeches on foreign policy is that very often, you”re sculpting air.

“In present circumstances where the economic air is very thin, the speeches can become even thinner.”

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His Country doesn’t ‘need nuclear weapons, Ahmadinejad

TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his country doesn’t ‘need nuclear weapons’, adding that Iran is ‘very much able to defend’ itself without them.

In an interview with a US network, Ahmadinejad said nuclear arms were not ‘part of Iran’s programs’, while stressing that Tehran would not abandon its uranium enrichment activities.

When asked by host Ann Curry if there was ‘a condition under which Iran would weaponize’, Ahmadinejad said, “We don’t have such a need for nuclear weapons. We don’t need nuclear weapons. Without such weapons, we are very much able to defend ourselves.”

“If you are talking about the enrichment of uranium for peaceful purposes, this will never be closed down here in Iran. But if you are talking about weapons, we don’t need such a weapon. It’s not a part of our any – of our programs and plans.”

Iran has repeatedly denied Western allegations that it is developing nuclear weapons under the cover of its uranium enrichment activities. Tehran has called for the removal of all weapons of mass destruction across the globe.

On Israel’s threat of an attack on Iran, Ahmadinejad said Tel Aviv was not capable of doing so, but said Iran’s reaction to a strike, if it were to happen, is ‘decisive’.

The Iranian president welcomed a US decision to abandon its missile defense system in Europe, saying it was a ’sign leading to change’.

Asked if he has a message for US President Barack Obama, Ahmadinejad said the ‘military policy of various US administrations has failed’ and thus a change in the world order was required.

“We think that the world needs to be governed using new methods. We are hoping that real change will happen. We are also ready to assist with that.”

He added that Iran was ready to help the United States alter the existing conditions.

“If Mr. Obama seriously is looking to bring about change, we will assist the gentleman. And we are hoping that he will succeed.”

Ahmadinejad stressed that the policies of ‘a handful of countries’, including Britain and the US are threatening the Middle East with an arms race.

“First the nuclear arsenals in the US and Britain need to be destroyed, dismantled. And then no one would doubt the good will of the US around the world,” he said.

On the recent June 12 presidential election, Ahmadinejad said the election was ‘fair and legal’, adding that ‘Iran’s government has been legitimate’ all through the thirty years following the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

It was natural that a candidate won over other contenders during an election, the president said, maintaining that differences of opinion were a common issue in any political system.

“Elections are organized so that people, different parties, do not think that their point of view is the only prevailing one. It’s very clear…that different people, different parties will have different points of view”.

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His Country doesn’t ‘need nuclear weapons, Ahmadinejad was first posted on September 20, 2009 at 12:56 pm.
©2009 “News Trends“.

Eid Mubarak, Says Barack Obama at End of Ramadan

Washington: US President Barack Obama marked the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Saturday with his administration stressing the commonality between American culture and the values of Islam.

Eid Mubarak,”As Muslims in the United States and around the world complete the month of Ramadan and celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, Michelle and I would like to extend our personal greetings on this joyous occasion,” Obama said in a statement.

“Even on this festive occasion, Muslims remember those less fortunate, including those impacted by poverty, hunger, conflict, and disease,” he added.

Obama highlighted Muslims’ commitment to collecting and distributing charity and said his administration was “working to ensure that Muslims are able to fulfil their charitable obligations not just during Ramadan, but throughout the year.”

In her own message, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed that Eid celebrations at the White House, pioneered by her husband Bill Clinton in 1996 when he was president, ensured that “all faiths have a home here in the United States”.

“This time of self-reflection reminds us that the values of Islam — charity, community, cooperation, compassion — are values which we hold dear as Americans and which have contributed so much to American culture,” Obama’s top diplomat said.

“We know there is more that unites peoples of faith than divides us. So as Ramadan draws to a close, let us hold on to that spirit of community throughout the year to achieve our common goals of peace, prosperity, and stability.”

Obama, who has Muslim heritage on his father’s side of his family, vowed to forge a “new beginning” for Islam and America in a landmark speech to the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims in Cairo in June.

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Eid Mubarak, Says Barack Obama at End of Ramadan was first posted on September 20, 2009 at 1:53 pm.
©2009 “News Trends“.