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Brown's meeting with Merkel overshadowed by Russia row
By Emsie Ferreira
AFP
BERLIN
Petroleumworld.com 07 17 07Gordon Brown on Monday held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in his first foreign visit as Britain's new prime minister, but the meeting was overshadowed by a gathering diplomatic storm with Russia.
Brown defended his government's decision announced earlier Monday to expel four Russian diplomats in protest at Moscow's refusal to extradite a key suspect in the murder of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko in London.
"We want the best possible relationship with Russia. We are sad that the cooperation has not been forthcoming," he told reporters ahead of a dinner meeting with Merkel in Berlin.
"We have therefore had to take the action we have taken. I have no apologies," he said.
Merkel said Germany had supported Britain's investigation of the Litvinenko murder and hoped that the case would be resolved so that good relations with Russia can resume.
"The decisions have been taken after very careful consideration of the facts at hand in the United Kingdom and we hope that this phase will be overcome. We hope that we can continue along the lines of having very good relations with Russia."
On other issues, Brown praised Merkel for her role in securing a deal about a new European Union reform treaty at the bloc's summit in Brussels last month.
"I think the success of what happened in Brussels is in no small measure thanks to you. I think we have the basis for an agreement for the future," he said.
Brown, who succeeded Tony Blair on June 27, reiterated that he did not believe there would be a need to call a referendum on the future EU treaty in Britain.
"If what has been achieved in Brussels is finalised in the documents that come out of the intergovernmental conference... I think we will not require a referendum and it can be enacted by detailed consideration by the House of Commons and the House of Lords" of the British parliament, he said.
"We hope that we can make progress over that quickly in the months to come."
Brown said he and Merkel would also touch on topics ranging from terrorism to the global economy and Africa, singling out the political crisis in Zimbabwe and laying it at the door of President Robert Mugabe.
"I am very concerned about the safety of civilians and about the damage inflicted on the Zimbabwean economy," he said.
"We call upon the president to change course, we call on him to respect the civil liberties of the people of Zimbabwe and we call on him to end what has been a disastrous period of poverty."
Merkel agreed, saying: "I can only second that."
Brown, who was received in the German capital with full military honours, said he had wanted to waste no time in coming to Germany after taking over from Blair to cement the close ties between London and Berlin.
"I have just become prime minister of Britain in the last few days and have wanted to come here as quickly as possible to talk with you about some of the great challenges we face," he said.
"Our countries have had excellent relations and I look forward to strengthening these relations in the years to come."
He listed climate change as a top priority and pledged Britain's help in forging an agreement on a new global pact on curbing greenhouse gas emissions to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
Brown, whose first days in office were marked by failed car bombings in Britain, also called for closer cooperation on fighting terrorism.
"All of us have huge challenges to meet on security and terrorism. I believe that we can look forward to greater cooperation in future on dealing with what is a problem for every major country in every continent of the world."
Downing Street has rejected speculation that Brown's decision to come to Berlin ahead of Washington, the traditional first port of call for a new British leader, could signal a change in transatlantic ties.
"We intend to visit Washington within the next couple of weeks and the trips are according to what is possible diary-wise. People should not read anything into the order of the trips," a spokeswoman told AFP.
AFP 16 2048 GMT 07 07
Copyright© 2007 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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