Brown hails bonds with US

US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown showed a united front on Iraq and promoting Middle East peace yesterday, trying to quell suggestions of a cooling in trans-Atlantic ties.

After a spate of reports that the new British leader would seek to distance himself from Mr Bush and withdraw from Iraq, both men were keen to show at their first meeting they could strike up a strong bond.

Mr Brown gave no promises on how long Britain would maintain its forces in Iraq, saying only that a decision to hand over control for security in Basra province to Iraqi forces would be based on military advice.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Gordon Brown understands that failure in Iraq would be a disaster for the security of our own countries," President Bush said at a joint news conference after their meeting at the secluded presidential retreat.

He said his relationship with Gordon Brown would be "a constructive strategic relationship for the good of our peoples".

The two leaders' personal chemistry was noticeably cooler than that enjoyed by Mr Bush and Mr Brown's predecessor Tony Blair, who stepped down as Prime Minister last month. In contrast with the casual approach of Mr Blair and Mr Bush, the President and the new British leader dressed formally in suits and ties and Gordon Brown looked stern, although George W. Bush tried to lighten the atmosphere with frequent quips.

Mr Brown said he had told Mr Bush that Britain wanted to work with the US on all the great challenges such as international terrorism, the Middle East and climate change.

On Iran, the two agreed on the need to pursue tougher sanctions against the country over its nuclear programme. "We're in agreement that sanctions are working and the next stage we are ready to move towards is to toughen the sanctions with a further UN resolution," Mr Brown said.

Mr Bush also said the two leaders were optimistic World Trade Organisation members can reach a long-sought agreement in the Doha round of world trade talks, stalled since June.

"Gordon Brown brought some interesting suggestions on the way forward. He's optimistic that we can conclude the Doha round, as am I," Mr Bush said.