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Miliband urges diplomacy change Pakistan urged to fight extremism
(about 5 hours later)
Diplomacy should be more about trying to influence public opinion and not just private negotiations, new Foreign Secretary David Miliband has said. UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband has urged Pakistan to continue in its efforts to see "terrorism tackled and extremism tackled".
Mr Miliband's comments came in a speech he gave to a young audience in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Visiting the country, he told the BBC that young people there wanted to see "enlightened moderation" in politics.
He told them he believed the world was changing faster than ever before and it was up to the young to take the lead. Earlier, Mr Miliband said in a speech that diplomacy must be more about influencing public opinion than just about negotiations behind closed doors.
As a result he believed that diplomacy needed to change to be about winning over hearts and minds, he added. Increased help for development could also cut the terror threat, he added.
Mr Miliband said the focus should no longer be on secret negotiations between diplomats behind closed doors. 'No question'
Mr Miliband told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Pakistani citizens in Pakistan want to see terrorism tackled and extremism tackled.
"And, remember, Pakistani visitors to the UK could easily find themselves caught up in terrorist incident as well - because people who plant bombs in the UK don't discriminate between the race or the religion of the people they affect."
He said he had just returned from a meeting of the Pakistani Youth Parliament, which had urged a policy of "enlightened moderation" but also said it wanted to see extremism tackled.
He told the Pakistani Youth Parliament the world was changing faster than ever before and it was up to the young to take the lead.
Shared interestShared interest
BBC News diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall said it is the clearest indication yet that the foreign secretary intends, if not a radical shift, at least a change of emphasis in British foreign policy. BBC News diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall said Mr Miliband's comments were the clearest indication yet that the foreign secretary intended, if not a radical shift, at least a change of emphasis in British foreign policy.
That would mean a greater stress on long-term policies for development and reconstruction and less on the blunt instrument of military power, our correspondent added.That would mean a greater stress on long-term policies for development and reconstruction and less on the blunt instrument of military power, our correspondent added.
While in Pakistan, Mr Miliband called for co-operation in defeating terrorism after talks with President Pervez Musharraf. Mr Miliband called for co-operation in defeating terrorism after talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who has come under pressure for his policy of backing the US.
The foreign secretary said he chose to visit Pakistan on his first foreign mission because of a shared interest in the area's future stability. The foreign secretary said he had chosen to visit Pakistan on his first overseas mission because of a shared interest in the region's stability.
In Afghanistan on Wednesday, he met that country's president, Hamid Karzai, to discuss co-operation in the fight against terrorism, as well as the rebuilding of the country. He went to Afghanistan on Wednesday, meeting President Hamid Karzai to discuss co-operation in the fight against terrorism, as well as the rebuilding of the country.
Mr Miliband said the danger posed by Taleban resurgence was the main reason for the UK to remain in the country on a long-term basis. Mr Miliband said the danger posed by Taleban resurgence was the main reason for the UK to remain in Afghanistan in the long term.