The foreign secretary William Hague rushed out a statement before the next presidential election official campaign open next month, pledging to take coordinated action where necessary to prevent serious disruption before and after the election in Cameroon.
If authorities in Cameroon do not observe fundamental rights and reform, they will lose in the long term and so may Britain, warned Hague.
William Hague said " we support democracy, human rights and economic freedom because they are universal.." and " the idea of freedom cannot be confined behind bars, however strong the lock.
There will be no long-term stable future for the country without political and economic reform, which will not be achieved without support from the outside world"
For those in opposition, the foreign secretary reminded them that the absence of quick and easy answers does not mean that there is a comforting alternative available to patient and determined engagement with the country.
Britain recognizes that it is indisputably the legitimate right of the people of Cameroon to use peaceful means to demand greater political and economic freedom, although what this will mean in practice will vary markedly from region to region. It is also strongly in our interest, said the foreign secretary, that " Cameroon `s people aspirations are fulfilled and also that Britain must do what its can to help the country become more democratic over time, because our fortune is linked to it as thousands of British jobs are linked to trade and commerce with the wider Central Africa region and the country "
The UK-coalition government " will not stay silent where repressive regime seek to crush legitimate aspirations from the population, but will press for necessary, legal actions to hold them account". Britain, concluded the foreign secretary, " will continue to work and lead other international action at the G8, EU and UN and to offer practical support to reforming governments through our own Africa Partnership Initiative."
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