David Cameron has distanced himself from previous British foreign policy by declaring he is a "liberal-conservative rather than a neo-conservative".
Speaking at Qatar university this morning during one of his informal 'PM Direct' question and answer sessions, the prime minister said he would not lecture foreign governments on how they should reform their political systems.
He said: "Britain's approach I believe should be to talk about the building blocks of democracy, the progress states can make towards more open and free societies.
"What we shouldn't do is point our finger and say this leader has to go or that leader has to go.
"We should do it in a way that is not naive, that recognises democracy is a process not an event."
Cameron told the students he had a "liberal-conservative approach not a neo-conservative approach".
Questions have been asked about the wisdom of touring the Middle East with representatives of British defence firms in tow as anti-government protests sweep the region.
Addressing the concerns today Cameron said Britain had some of the "strictest rules for selling arms of any country in the world".
Last night the UN Security Council condemned the Libyan regime for its 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.
Cameron said that his "first priority" was the safety of Britons trapped in the North African country and insisted the Foreign Office was "taking every step it can to reach British nationals".
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