William Hague: David Cameron is a natural diplomat

David Cameron is a "natural" diplomat, Foreign Secretary William Hague insisted today despite protests from both Pakistan and Israel about comments the Prime Minister made in recent days.

Amid anger in Islamabad after Mr Cameron seemed to accuse it of promoting the "export of terror", Mr Hague said the premier did not shrink from telling people what he thought.

But he maintained: "The Prime Minister is a great diplomat and I see that in action every day when he is dealing with foreign leaders. He is a natural at it."

Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari is to visit the Prime Minister at his Chequers country retreat next week when Mr Cameron's comments about Islamabad's record on terrorism is sure to be raised.

But Mr Hague rejected suggestions that it would be a tense meeting and said it had been planned "for some time".

He insisted again that Mr Cameron, speaking in Bangalore yesterday, had not been directing his criticism at Pakistan's government but at elements within the country.

"The Prime Minister speaks the truth and we are all united and clear about what he said," Mr Hague added, in a briefing for reporters travelling with the Government's delegation to India.

Mr Cameron provoked the ire of Israel too this week when, visiting Turkey, he referred to the Palestinian enclave of Gaza as a "prison camp".

The Prime Minister's remarks about Pakistan appear to have gone down well in India, with whom he is seeking to deepen Britain's relations.

Security and India's vulnerability to attacks from Pakistan will feature during his talks with Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh later today.