Special relationship? Hague meets Hillary
Updated on 14 May 2010
Foreign Secretary William Hague's first stop is Washington. International editor Lindsey Hilsum writes that it shows "not how much has changed in Britain, but how much has stayed the same."
Mr Hague meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Afghanistan likely to be top of the agenda as Britain's new government affirms its relationship with the Obama administration.
At a press conference following the meeting, Mr Hague said that the US was "without a doubt the most important ally of the UK".
Mrs Clinton said she was "very intrigued" by the UK election results, but that the US administration was looking forward to working with the new coalition government.
"We will continue to build on the deep and abiding trust that exists between the British and American people for a very long time," she said.
"We don't formally have a coalition government in the way that you have formed one in the UK now, but we have enough of our own internal differences that we have to sort through.
"So I see nothing at all unusual about this new Government and from our perspective it is off to a very strong start and certainly on the foreign policy front we are extremely pleased. This meeting and discussion just confirmed our close partnership and our commitment to working together."
Mr Hague said: "The US is without doubt the most important ally of the UK. Fundamentally, it is a relationship rooted in the strong alignment of our national interests.
"The scope of our co-operation is unparalleled. Our military, our diplomats, our intelligence and security agencies work hand in glove together. It is not a backward-looking or nostalgic relationship. It is looking to the future, from combating violent extremism to addressing poverty and conflict around the world.
"I believe the UK and US share common priorities to an extraordinary degree and we will continue to pursue these priorities in what I think we can confidently say is an unbreakable alliance."
International editor Lindsey Hilsum's analysis:
First stop Washington – it makes sense for a new foreign secretary who takes the traditional view that Britain's relations with America trump all others.
William Hague has said that the relationship should be "solid, not slavish" – a nod to the public discomfort in the UK over Tony Blair's perceived poodle-ism towards George Bush – but he's a staunch Atlanticist nonetheless.
It's a ritual that every incoming British government should avow that the UK has a "special relationship" with the USA. Hence the use of the phrase "extraordinary special relationship" by President Obama in his congratulatory message to David Cameron.
The supplicant wants to be seen as "special"; the senior partner uses the word to please and flatter, not because it has meaning. British diplomats in Washington find it all a bit embarrassing, while US officials find it baffling.
Mr Hague's first foreign trip is likely to show not how much has changed in Britain, but how much has stayed the same.
Read Lindsey's blog in full here
Joe Klein, Washington correspondent for Time magazine, told Channel 4 News: "I think that on the big issues though, the big foreign policy issues - Afghanistan, Iran etc - that there is an expectation of continuity here especially since the Labour government over the last eight or nine years kind of acted the way you would expect a Tory government to act."
Mr Hague said that they had "never ruled out supporting in the future military action" against Iran "but we are not calling for it."
"It is precisely because we want to see this matter settled peacefully and rapidly that we call for sanctions and we support the idea of a Security Council resolution," he said.
Before the visit, the foreign secretary has promised to pursue a "solid but not slavish relationship" with America, while recognising the "huge importance" of the so-called special relationship.
Mr Hague said earlier this week that the situation in Afghanistan was at the top of is priorities. His visit to America comes just after a four-day visit by Afghan president Hamid Karzai - who Hague said would be urged by the new administration to meet his commitments.
The government "will give time and support for the strategy to succeed" but "that does involve the government of president Karzai implementing any commitments that it has made," he said at the time.
He also insisted British troops would remain in Afghanistan until "their job is done" and refused to set any "artificial deadline" for the withdrawal of armed forces from the conflict zone.
US President Barack Obama was among a number of world leaders to call David Cameron after his appointment as prime minister earlier this week.
Deputy prime minister and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg hailed the "dramatic difference" the UK and America could make together in a phone conversation with US vice-president Joe Biden.
The White House number two called Clegg to offer his "warm" congratulations on his high-profile role in the new Con-Lib coalition government.
