British PM on Arab Spring and Palestinian State

On Friday, British Prime Minister David Cameron told the United Nations General Assembly that recent revolts seen across the Arab world are a "massive opportunity" for the endorsement of democracy.

"Last week I was in Tripoli and Benghazi and saw the hunger of a people eager to get on with reclaiming their country, writing themselves a new chapter of freedom and democracy. This has been the most dramatic episode of what has been called the Arab Spring. My argument today is that Libya and the Arab Spring shows that the United Nations needs a new way of working. Because the Arab Spring is a massive opportunity to spread peace, prosperity, democracy and vitally, security, but only if we really seize the opportunity."

However Cameron criticized the governments of Yemen, Syria and Iran for their treatment of their people.

"Here at the UN, we have a responsibility to stand up against regimes that persecute their people. We need to see reform in Yemen, and above all, on Syria, it is time for the Members of the Security Council to act. We must now adopt a credible resolution threatening tough sanctions. Of course we should always act with care when it comes to the internal affairs of a sovereign state. But we cannot allow this to be an excuse for indifference in the face of a regime that week after week arrests, intimidates, tortures and kills people who are peacefully trying to make their voices heard."

The British Prime Minister also spoke about the Palestinian bid for statehood saying this can only happen when both Israel and Palestine “sit down and talk to each other, make compromises … and agree”.

"We all here have a responsibility to the Palestinians too. A key part of the Arab Spring is the right of Palestinians to have a viable state of their own, living in peace, alongside a safe and secure state of Israel. And I strongly support this. There has been much speculation about what will happen here this week. Lets be clear about one fact. No Resolution can, on its own, substitute for the political will necessary to bring peace; Peace will only come when Palestinians and Israelis sit down and talk to each other, make compromises, build trust and agree. So our role is to support this to defeat those who embrace violence, to stop the growth of settlements and support Palestinians and Israelis alike to make peace.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is expected to present his country’s bid for U.N. membership on Friday.