Cameron continues Middle East tour

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David Cameron is set for talks in Qatar today, after using a speech in Kuwait to hail a "precious moment of opportunity" for reform in the region.

Yesterday the prime minister appeared to distance himself from past British foreign policy which he said had sometimes prioritised stability over the freedoms of the people.

He told the Kuwaiti parliament: "For decades, some have argued that stability required highly controlling regimes, and that reform and openness would put that stability at risk.

"And to be honest, we should acknowledge that sometimes we have made such calculations in the past."

But the wisdom of touring the Middle East with representatives of British defence firms in tow as anti-government protests sweep the region has been questioned.

Last night the UN security council condemned the Libyan regime for it's violent repression of demonstrators.

In a rambling but defiant speech yesterday afternoon Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi vowed to fight to his "last drop of blood" before giving up power.

Speaking in Kuwait yesterday the prime minister said that the uprisings were a "expression of aspiration" from a new generation hungry for political and economic freedoms.

"History is sweeping through your neighbourhood. Not as a result of force and violence, but by people seeking their rights, and in the vast majority of cases doing so peacefully and bravely," he said.

"It is they who are showing that there is more to politics in this region than the false choice sometimes presented between repression and extremism."

He added: "In many parts of the Arab World, aspirations are stirring which have lain dormant."

The prime minister's speech came as the Gulf state celebrated half a century of independence from Britain.

Cameron said that while it was not for him or for governments outside the region to "pontificate" Britain stood with "the people and governments who are on the side of justice, of the rule of law and of freedom".

"It is not for us to tell you how to do it, or precisely what shape your future should take," he said.

"We respect your right to take your own decisions, while offering our goodwill and support.

"But we cannot remain silent in our belief that freedom and the rule of law are what best guarantee human progress and economic success.

He added: "Our interests lie in upholding our values – in insisting on the right to peaceful protest, in freedom of speech and the internet, in freedom of assembly and the rule of law.

"But these are not just our values, but the entitlement of people everywhere; of people in Tahrir Square as much as Trafalgar Square."