British opposition Conservative stresses global alliance

Global alliance is of vital importance to the Conservative Party's foreign policy, said the British opposition Conservative Party's foreign policy chief William Hague on Tuesday.

The Conservative's foreign policy is "global," said Hague, Conservative's Shadow Foreign Secretary, during his speech at the on-going annual Conservative conference held in this English resort.

Britain enjoys a unique position where its interests meet that of the United States, Europe and the Commonwealth, he said, suggesting Britain should broaden the alliance with them and boost mutual understanding.

Saying Britain would be stronger in its anti-terrorism efforts through its cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations and the Group of Eight (G8), he appealed for "avoiding the divisive rhetoric of a "clash of civilizations" and championing the great strategic goal of bringing Turkey into the European Union (EU)."

Britain should use its moral authority to defeat its new enemies, he suggested, saying force should be the last resort.

Whenever British troops are sent to wars, there should be a debate and a vote in the parliament, he suggested,

The British government's failure to plan for the aftermath of the war in Iraq has left British soldiers and their "friends" exposed, he said.

He said that as part of the Conservative Party's efforts to meet the challenges for the next British government, party leader David Cameron went to India and China to see how the world's economic weight has shifted to Asia.

Source: Xinhua