British PM Brown Visits US

18 April 2008

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown wraps up his second official visit to the United States Friday with a meeting with U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom, remarks during a joint press availability Thursday, April 17, 2008, in the Rose Garden of the White House. Said Prime Minister Brown, "The world owes President George Bush a huge debt of gratitude for leading the world in our determination to root out terrorism, and to ensure that there is no safe haven for terrorism and no hiding place for terrorists."

Mr. Brown spent Thursday meeting with President Bush at the White House. During a joint press conference, the two leaders said they discussed the strained global economy and what their countries are doing to address housing concerns, inflation and an international food shortage.

On foreign policy matters, Mr. Brown said he made no apologies for pushing to extend sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council against Iran for its nuclear development program.

He also praised Mr. Bush's leadership in the global fight against terrorism, and promised that Britain would continue to support the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr. Brown said the military effort in those nations must be matched with economic and development programs.

Earlier Thursday, Mr. Brown met separately with the three U.S. presidential candidates hoping to succeed Mr. Bush - Democratic Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and Republican Senator John McCain.

After his meeting with Bernanke, the British leader will deliver a foreign policy speech in the eastern state of Massachusetts, before returning to London.