Reply #8: Hague: Arab Democracy Must Be Supported

[tabatha]

Foreign Secretary William Hague has called on the international community to offer financial backing to democracy movements in the Middle East.

Speaking at the Lord Mayor of London's Easter banquet in the Mansion House, Mr Hague said the support would help prevent the so-called Arab Spring collapsing back into "more authoritarian regimes, conflict and increased terrorism".

He urged the European Union to offer the "hand of friendship" to nations such as Tunisia and Egypt on its southern borders, suggesting that a free-trade area and then a customs union could be possible in the future.

"All of this must should be accompanied by our partners achieving clear and sustainable political and economic reform," he said.

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