Britain seeks balanced position on Israel and Gaza, says new foreign minister David Lammy
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Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Britain would seek to reset its position globally on issues including the climate crisis.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BERLIN - Britain wants a balanced position on the war in the Middle East and will use diplomatic efforts to ensure a ceasefire is reached and Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militant group Hamas are released, its new foreign minister David Lammy told Reuters.
Mr Lammy is on a visit to Germany, his first international trip following the Labour Party’s thumping victory in Britain’s July 4 election,
“The time has come for the United Kingdom to reconnect with the outside world,” Mr Lammy said in an interview in Berlin.
“I want to get back to a balanced position on Israel and Gaza. We’ve been very clear that we want to see a ceasefire... We want to see those hostages out.
“The fighting has to stop, the aid has got to get in, and I will use all diplomatic efforts to ensure that we get to that ceasefire.”
He did not elaborate.
Mr Lammy also said Britain would seek to reset its position globally on issues including the climate crisis, as well as key relationships, such as with European and emerging powers.
“Let us put the Brexit years behind us... there’s much that we can do together,” he said, pointing to a previously floated idea of a security pact between Britain and the European Union.
The 51-year-old held talks with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, who underlined that “the UK is an indispensable part of Europe”.
She added that Germany is “working with the new UK government to see how the UK can move closer to the EU”, the German foreign ministry wrote on social media platform X.
Mr Lammy, who replaced Conservative David Cameron as foreign secretary, also posted photos of his meeting with Ms Baerbock.
“It’s time to reset our relationship with our European friends and allies. That’s why I’m in Germany, on my first visit as foreign secretary,” he wrote on X.
Besides the situation in the Middle East, the ministers discussed issues, from boosting Nato’s support for Ukraine to climate change.
“Together @ABaerbock and I will address shared threats and support Ukraine,” wrote Mr Lammy.
He also added that they “still made time for the football – come on, England”, in the post that included a photo of the ministers watching the Three Lions’ July 6 quarter-final clash against Switzerland on a laptop.
Germany is hosting Euro 2024 and England advanced to the semi-finals after beating Switzerland on penalties.
The British Labour Party suffered significant election setbacks in areas with large Muslim populations in the election amid discontent over its position on the war in Gaza, despite a landslide victory in the parliamentary vote.
Efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza gathered momentum on July 5 after Hamas made a revised proposal on the terms of a deal, and Israel said negotiations would continue into next week.
Gaza health authorities say more than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in the offensive which Israel launched in response to a Hamas-led assault on Oct 7,
On July 7, Mr Lammy will travel to Poland and Sweden, where he will focus discussions on areas including cooperation on Nato and the war in Ukraine, Britain’s foreign office said. REUTERS, AFP
