Clinton Praises Special Relationship

The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, lavishly praised the "special relationship" between the US and Britain after discussions in Washington yesterday with David Miliband, the first foreign minister to meet her in the new job.

Clinton, standing with Miliband at the state department, said the US-UK relationship had stood the test of time and thanked British troops for their sacrifice in Afghanistan.

British diplomats had played down the importance of whether Britain, France or Germany would be first to speak to the new administration but they were yesterday celebrating twin coups: Gordon Brown was the first European leader Obama called and Miliband became the first foreign minister to visit Clinton.

Clinton's praise sounded warmer than usual. "It is often said the United States and Britain have enjoyed a special relationship. It is certainly special in my mind and one that has proven very productive," she said. "Whoever is in the White House, whichever party in our country, this relationship really stands the test of time and I look forward to working with the foreign secretary."

The two appeared comfortable in each other's company. They have known each other since the 1990s when there were close ties between the Clinton administration and New labor.

The foreign secretary said he wanted to "renew and refresh the special relationship". Although Tony Blair established a close alliance with President George Bush, Clinton and Miliband - and Obama and Brown - are more ideologically aligned.

Miliband was the first of a series of foreign ministers from Europe and elsewhere to visit Clinton this week. In their hour-long meeting, Clinton and Miliband discussed Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the recession, climate change and world poverty.

In spite of the warm words, there are potential strains between the US and Britain. Like other European countries, Britain has privately protested at trade measures being proposed by the Obama administration to protect US jobs.

The US is also calling on Britain and other European countries to send more troops to Afghanistan, which they are resisting. On the Middle East, the US and the UK have been reluctant to put pressure on Israel to open up the border with Gaza for humanitarian aid.

Miliband, speaking with reporters after the Clinton meeting, was at pains to appear even-handed between the Palestinians and the Israelis, saying that while the humanitarian situation was "very serious indeed", there was a need to combat arms smuggling from Egypt into Gaza.

On Iran, Clinton adopted a noticeably tougher line than Obama, stressing the costs to Iran if it continued work on uranium enrichment. The US and Britain see uranium enrichment as a first step towards achieving a nuclear weapons capability.

Miliband expressed concern over Tehran's claim yesterday to have broken into the global space race by launching its first domestically made satellite. Iranian state television showed footage of the Omid (Hope) satellite in a launch clearly timed to mark the 30th anniversary celebrations of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The Iranians say the satellite is for telecommunication purposes but the US and Britain are concerned that it could be converted to help with the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

What's so special

It is a Washington ritual: when a British leader visits, he or she feels obliged to mention "the special relationship". But in reality there is no such thing. Britain is no more important to the US than Germany or France. Americans, anxious to avoid upsetting their other allies, steer away from referring to "the special relationship" and speak instead of "a special relationship". At least until yesterday, when Hillary Clinton showed her inexperience and, in her final remarks, uttered the words "the special relationship" at a press event with David Miliband.