madam president in the past i have often been sharply critical of british prime minister cameron
however prime minister cameron was absolutely correct to ask for trade preferences to be granted to pakistan
now i use the word ask with some care
asking is exactly what the british prime minister has had to do
since joining the eu the united kingdom the world's fifth largest economy does not have the autonomy to determine trade policy even with a commonwealth country
nevertheless it is in the uk's national interest that pakistan should now get trade preferences
i rarely agree with david martin but i do on this
pakistan is not only a developing country with one hundred and seventy million inhabitants and strategic borders with afghanistan it is also a country which has some thirty nuclear warheads
the security implications of a collapse of the pakistan state would be devastating to the security of the entire developed world
trade preferences for pakistan at this time may perhaps help stop that happening
