Britain’s foreign secretary, David Miliband, is in Washington and has had talks with Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state. Miliband was the first foreign secretary to hold face-to-face talks with Clinton, which emphasises the hope of continue the strong bond between the two nations. Mrs. Clinton said at the news conference after the talks that the relationships between the US and the UK was ‘certainly special in my eyes’, although she admitted there had been a slight change. Without elaborating, so it leaves me to speculate if the end of Tony Blair’s range and the arrival of Gordon Brown did make for more caution actions on the UK’s behalf.

During today’s talks Clinton and Miliband vowed to renew and refresh the strong ties between the two countries, and to stand together in a joint effort to combat a number of global challenges; poverty, disease and global climate change. She also thanked the UK for the military help in Iraq, and said she was looking forward to the UK and Europe  helping to enhance the US support for the people of Afghanistan.

Furthermore, both Clinton and Miliband vowed to work together to help resolve the situation in the Middle East. Let us all hope that the relationship between the young David Miliband and the very experienced Hilary Clinton wil live up to the promises made today.