19/12/06 - Interim Security Report 'A Timely Contribution'

Swindon's Conservative Candidates have welcomed the publication of an Interim Report by the Conservative Party's National and International Security Policy Review Group, chaired by former diplomat Dame Pauline Neville-Jones.

The Report calls for a re-balancing of Britain's relationship with the United States, suggesting that we should play the role of "candid friend" rather than being a "mute partner" as has been the position under Tony Blair.

In the Middle East, the Report advocates a new approach, rejecting the military option. "We need to recognise that a central element of foreign policy - the intervention in Iraq - has failed in its objectives so badly that the threat to this country is actually greater than it was before it began." A Middle East strategy with more humility and patience is suggested.

The creation of a Cabinet-level Security Minister and a UK National Security Council are also proposed, bearing in mind the serious nature of the threat posed at home by fundamentalist terrorism and the need to adopt a properly co-ordinated approach.

Justin Tomlinson said: "The concept of a National Security Council, co-ordinating long-term planning and policy in the area of security, is a welcome idea whose time has come. We must do everything we can to avoid a repeat of the dreadful events of 7th July. I look forward to reading the Group's final conclusions next year."

Robert Buckland said: "I was particularly pleased to see that the Group firmly supports the continuation of the membership negotiations for Turkey to enter the EU. The disastrous escapade in Iraq has shown the failure of policies that seek to impose alternatives to dictatorship or theocracy in the region. Turkey's entry into the EU would be a demonstration to the nations of the Middle East that a democratic alternative can be achieved by consent, not force."