RIYADH, 10 May 2005 — British Ambassador Sherard Cowper-Coles was confident that the new Labour government will pursue an active international agenda in its new term.

Ambassador Cowper-Coles was speaking to Arab News in the context of the British general elections that returned Prime Minister Tony Blair for a record third term in office. Asked if the British government will pursue a different agenda in its third term, he said the government of Tony Blair will have an active international agenda.

Britain, the ambassador pointed out, is already holding the presidency of G-8, while it will also take over the rotating presidency of EU on July 1.

Within a week of its EU Presidency there will be the G-8 summit to be held at Gleneagles in Scotland.

The priorities of this summit include climate change, trade, issues relating to poverty and debt relief for the people of Africa.

Other issues may include the Middle East in the context of the current moves toward Palestinian statehood and the security situation in Iraq.

The ambassador said EU, as a member of the Quartet along with US, Russia and the UN, would like to ensure that Israel’s Gaza withdrawal goes ahead smoothly. “It will not be Gaza first and last, but Gaza first in a long process. But we are keen to maintain the momentum.”

One of the key elements of maintaining this momentum, he said, is to help the Palestinians develop their capacity for ensuring security. “Our objective ultimately is to keep the international community engaged and the terrorists out and also to give the Israeli army no rationale or excuse for remaining in the Palestinian territory.”

Referring to the impending referendum in Britain for the adoption of the EU constitution, the ambassador said he was optimistic that it would be ratified, since it was in the interest of the British to vote in favor of the European Treaty, which will regularize the relations between the member states of EU, besides regulating the distribution of powers among the sovereign parliaments of European Union.

“It’s a myth to say that it is a constitution of a superstate...What it will do is to address the collective interests of the 25 EU member states and 450 million people,” he said.

Ambassador Cowper-Coles added, “Whenever the referendum is held, it will make Britain stronger in Europe and stronger in the US if we adopt a European constitution.”

“It will also tidy up a lot of messy hangover from previous negotiations. I think Europe and America will be the better for having a United Kingdom that has made clear its commitment to its two principal partners — the United States and European Union,” the ambassador said, adding he hoped the people in Britain will vote overwhelming in favor of the European constitution.