PM pledges aid to 'Arab Spring' nations

---

The prime minister has pledged £110m of aid to support economic and political reform in north Africa and the Middle East.

Speaking today at the G8 summit in the French seaside resort of Deauville, David Cameron said the UK stands alongside people seeking freedom.

"I want a very simple and clear message to come out of this summit, and that is that the most powerful nations on Earth have come together and are saying to those in the Middle East and North Africa who want greater democracy, greater freedom, greater civil rights, we are on your side," he said.

"We will help you build your democracy, we will help your economies, we will help you build trade.

"We will help you in all the ways we can because the alternative to a successful democracy is more of the poisonous extremism that has done so much damage in our world."

The prime minister said greater democracy and freedom in countries like Egypt and Tunisia "is good for us back at home".

"That will mean less extremism, it will mean more peace and prosperity, and it will mean there won't be the pressures of immigration that we might otherwise face to our own country."

In February foreign secretary William Hague pledged £5m to a new 'Arab partnership' fund.

Cameron's announcement today marks an escalation of that aid, which will come from the DFID and FCO budgets.

However, the funds will not be used to back rebel or opposition groups.

Instead the UK will "work in partnership with countries in the region as they seek to respond to the legitimate aspirations of their people," DFID said.

That includes "parliaments, civil society and human rights groups".

"The UK believes this support for the peoples of the Arab world lies at the heart of our national interest," DFID said.

"A failure to act risks instability on Europe’s doorstep, collapse back into authoritarian rule, conflict and terrorism."

The FCO and DFID will provide £40m for programmes to support strong, democratic institutions, including media and legal systems.

The remaining £70m will be provided by DFID over four years to promote the economies of Egypt and Tunisia, and later Morocco and Jordan.

DFID said it will work directly with "existing international financial institutions, such as the African and Islamic Development Banks, to help countries in the region fully benefit from their assistance".

Foreign secretary William Hague said: "This is a crucial moment for the people of the Middle East and North Africa and the UK will rise to the challenge of meeting our responsibility to support them.

"It is for governments to respond to their people's legitimate calls for change and we are clear that these are Arab revolutions and leadership for reform must come from within countries.

"But we have also been clear that we must stand up for those values we believe in and ensure those seeking change can deliver real and irreversible reform.

"That is what we are doing through the UK's Arab partnership.

"It is our pledge of support to the reformers of the Middle East and North Africa.".

Article Comments