British minister hints at US policy shift

LONDON, July 13 (Reuters) A British minister has suggested a shift in foreign policy towards the United States, telling an audience in Washington that a country's strength depended on making alliances rather than military might.

In a speech late yesterday, International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said that while Britain stood beside the United States in fighting terrorism, isolationism did not work in an interdependent world.

''In the 20th century a country's might was too often measured in what they could destroy. In the 21st, strength should be measured by what we can build together,'' Alexander said, in comments interpreted by British media as signalling a change in the new British government's relationship with Washington.

''We must form new alliances, based on these common values; ones not just to protect us from the world but ones which reach out to the world. A new alliance of opportunity,'' he said in a speech at the Council of Foreign Relations.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown took over last month with promises of change to woo back voters after 10 years of his Labour Party's rule and in particular to draw a line under the unpopular Iraq war.

His predecessor Tony Blair's closeness to Washington was unpopular with many Britons. While few analysts expect Brown to announce an immediate withdrawal of British troops from Iraq -- he has pledged to respect Britain's commitments there -- there is speculation the withdrawal may accelerate.

Britain has been reducing troop numbers in Iraq and now has about 5,500 in the south.

Additional impetus is coming from the United States, where the House of Representatives voted for the third time yesterday to bring combat troops out of Iraq. Two previous efforts either died in the Senate or were vetoed by President George W Bush.

A White House report issued yesterday found the Iraqi government had made only mixed progress in meeting political goals. It said conditions were still dangerous and challenging six months after Bush ordered a US troop buildup.

Alexander said while there were few global challenges that did not require Washington's engagement, countries should work together through organisations like the United Nations and seek shared solutions to the world's problems.

''We need to demonstrate by our word and our actions that we are internationalist not isolationist; multilateralist not unilateralist,'' he said.

''There is no security or prosperity at home unless we deal with the global challenges of security, globalization, climate change, disease and poverty. We must recognise these challenges and champion an internationalist approach.'' REUTERS SW PM1255