Days of US, UK Intervening in Sovereign Countries are Over: Theresa May

LONDON- The British prime minister says the United Kingdom and the United States must not intervene in other sovereign countries’ affairs in an attempt to “remake the world in our own image.”

According to Press TV, Theresa May told a meeting of Republican lawmakers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Thursday that the “days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over.”

However, she insisted that the two powers should still lead the world and take on “new global challenges,” including the Syrian crisis and the fight against the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group.

  “This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past. But nor can we afford to stand idly by when the threat is real and when it is in our own interests to intervene,” she said.

 “We must be strong, smart and hard-headed. And we must demonstrate the resolve necessary to stand up for our interests,” she added.

Elsewhere in her speech, May urged the Trump administration to engage with Moscow but “beware” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 UK Marks Shift in Policy on Syria

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says Britain has changed its stance on Syria and on President Bashar Al-Assad.

The statement came a day before British Prime Minister Theresa May meets with recently inaugurated US President Donald Trump in Washington, which means all sides interested in peaceful settlement of the long-lasting conflict in Syria could reconsider their views on the matter, according to RT.

There is a need to be “realistic about the way the landscape has changed” and to take a fresh look at the situation, Johnson said.

Johnson stressed that cooperation with Russia would most certainly mean cooperation with Iran, Syria’s ally, which is likely to be “a good thing.”

“We think that trying to improve relations with Iran through this deal, and it’s a pretty cautious thing, is on the whole a good thing.

 H.M