KUWAIT CITY (AFP) – David Cameron has said that "reform--not repression" holds the key to stability in the Arab world, as protests throughout the region overshadowed his trade visits in Kuwait.
The day after, he became the first foreign leader to visit Cairo since February 11 fall of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, said Cameron Tuesday, the Arab incursions, gave the region a "precious moment of opportunity" for reform.
"For decades, some have argued that the stability required extremely control regimes, and to the reform and openness would bring that stability in danger," the Prime Minister said in a speech to Kuwait's Parliament.
But this was a "false choice", he argued. "As recent events have confirmed that deny people their fundamental rights does not preserve stability, rather vice versa."
Cameron said the most robust society occupied central building blocks such as democratic government accountability, freedom to communicate and the freedom to learn and work.
"In short, reform--not oppression--is the only way to maintain stability," he said.
Cameron was accompanied by 36 business leaders on his visit to the Gulf to what had long been planned as a trade trip. A stop in Cairo was added at the last minute after Mubarak case.
From premier agreed with Kuwait on Tuesday to double two-way trade and investment, which currently stands at $ 3.2 billion by 2015.
But the inclusion of defence companies, Thales, BAE Systems and QinetiQ in his delegation asked critics at home to question if the United Kingdom should be trying to sell arms in a region where Governments cracking on the protests.
"The defence-related industry is of vital importance to the United Kingdom but many people will be surprised that the Prime Minister this week of all weeks may consider strengthening arms sales to Middle East," Anonymous Jones, defence spokesman for Labour opposition party, told the newspaper the guardian.
Denis MacShane, former Labour Foreign Office minister, told the paper: "It shows the insensitivity and crassness of a high order of the Prime Minister to take weapons salesmen with him on his Middle East trip".
But Cameron rejected criticism, noting that his visit to Kuwait was timed to coincide with events marking the 20th anniversary of the Gulf war, triggered by the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's invasion of the country.
"I seem to remember we spent a lot of work and life in the armed forces and helps defend Kuwait," Cameron told reporters traveling with him.
"So the idea that the United Kingdom should not have defence relations with some of these countries, I do not understand. It is quite true that we do, "insisted from premier.
In Cairo met Cameron field marshal Hussein Tantawi, Egypt's de facto leader, just 10 days after Mubarak faced an unprecedented popular uprising.
Cameron, in front of Kuwait's National Assembly, also extend its condemnation of the "appalling" punishment on the person protesters Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi security forces.
"Violence is not the answer to the people's legitimate aspirations. Do not use force to resolve complaints, only Multiply them, "he said.
The British Prime Minister said the reform could also play its part in this VAT Islamic extremism, says people often turned to violence, when they were denied a voice or employment.
Protests since January as the leaders of Egypt have overthrow and Tunisia were driven by ideology, but of "an expression of the wish of a new generation of hungry for political and economic freedoms."
Cameron stressed that the reform was "a key part of the antidote of the extremism that threaten the security of us all."
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