综合一区欧美国产,99国产麻豆免费精品,九九精品黄色录像,亚洲激情青青草,久久亚洲熟妇熟,中文字幕av在线播放,国产一区二区卡,九九久久国产精品,久久精品视频免费

   

Britain's Brown vows to learn from Iraq

(AP)
Updated: 2007-05-11 21:29

LONDON - Gordon Brown launched his campaign to become Britain's next prime minister on Friday, pledging to learn from the mistakes of the Iraq war while honoring "our obligations to the Iraqi people." Brown, who faces no serious opposition after waiting more than a decade for his chance to lead the country, said there needed to be a stronger emphasis on political reconciliation and economic development in Iraq.

"And obviously we've got to more to win the battle of hearts and minds against al-Qaida terrorism."

Prime Minister Tony Blair, who announced he would resign June 27, officially endorsed Brown on Friday. As Treasury chief, Brown is credited with much of Britain's recent economic boom.

"I want to lead a government humble enough to know its place," Brown said, pledging to win back voters disenchanted after a decade of Labour Party rule.

The question is whether Brown will shift Britain's role in the Iraq war, which has divided Britain.

President Bush has called Brown a thinker and easy to talk to. Brown has been more reserved in his comments about the American president, whose alliance with Blair lost the Labour Party votes.

"I accept that mistakes have been made," Brown said, adding that he will soon visit Iraq and other nations.

"We will keep our obligations to the Iraqi people. These are obligations that are part of U.N. resolution, they are in support of a democracy," he said. "I do think that over the next few months the emphasis will shift."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Brown was aware of the dangers surrounding failure in Iraq.

"The bonds with Prime Minister Blair have been forged through some of the most difficult times, through the time of 9/11, through the time of the attacks on London, through Afghanistan and Iraq and Northern Ireland, and those are bonds of friendship that come from having been through some of the toughest circumstances," Rice told the British Broadcasting Corp.

"But Britain and America will always be friends and I know that we will work very, very well with Gordon Brown when he becomes prime minister."

Jack Straw, former Foreign Secretary, said Brown would respect the alliance with the United States.

"Gordon Brown's affection and understanding of America goes back decades. And he takes the same view as Tony Blair does, which is that Britain's security fundamentally depends on the alliance with the United States and the union with Europe."

The Iraq war severely dented Labor's popularity. Blair's close alliance with President Bush was unpopular at home, there were mass marches in Britain opposing the U.S.-led invasion before it began, and the government's claims that Saddam Hussein was building an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction proved false.

For more than a year, Labour has consistently trailed in opinion polls behind a Conservative Party revived by its new leader, David Cameron.

In local and regional elections earlier this month, Labour lost hundreds of seats in city and county councils, and was beaten into second place in the Scottish Parliament elections by the Scottish National Party, which advocates independence.

Blair announced in February that his government — the top U.S. ally in the Iraq war — will reduce its troop level by 1,600 to about 5,500 by spring, but will retain a presence in southern Iraq until at least 2008. A total of 148 British soldiers have died since the 2003 invasion.



Top World News  
Today's Top News  
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
定兴县| 手游| 房山区| 益阳市| 新兴县| 苗栗市| 阳西县| 宁南县| 东兴市| 湘潭县| 广元市| 调兵山市| 南宁市| 兰坪| 广州市| 施甸县| 家居| 横山县| 尚志市| 正安县| 沽源县| 松原市| 津南区| 肇东市| 三门县| 巴塘县| 神农架林区| 新安县| 郁南县| 海宁市| 镇赉县| 仁怀市| 玉田县| 阳朔县| 抚顺县| 田林县| 阳新县| 庄河市| 维西| 新蔡县| 葫芦岛市|