July 31, 2007	Tuesday	Rajab 15, 1428

CAMP DAVID, July 30: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday that he and US President George Bush had agreed on the need to pursue tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

“On Iran, 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 U.N. resolution,” Mr Brown told a joint news conference with Mr Bush after their first summit at the presidential retreat in Camp David.

The United Nations Security Council has imposed two rounds of sanctions since December on Iran for failing to halt uranium enrichment. A third sanctions resolution is being considered.

Before leaving for his visit with Bush, Mr Brown said he would not rule out military action against Iran, but believed a policy of sanctions would persuade Tehran to drop its disputed nuclear program.

The two leaders presented a united front on Iraq and promoting Middle East peace, 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 they could strike up a strong bond.

“Everybody's wondering whether or not the prime minister and I were able to find common ground, to get along, to have a meaningful discussion. And the answer is absolutely,” Mr Bush said.

Bush forged a close bond with Mr Brown’s predecessor, Tony Blair, the US president's closest ally on Iraq.

By contrast, Mr Brown, the son of a Scottish preacher, is a serious intellectual keen to avoid the tag of `Bush's poodle’ that undermined Mr Blair. The two leaders’ personal chemistry was noticeably cooler than that enjoyed by Bush and Blair, who stepped down last month.

During the more than three hours of one-on-one meetings, Mr Bush searched for common ground with the new British leader, noting that he had been to Scotland.

Bush acknowledged, though, that Brown may use different toothpaste than Blair -- who uses the same brand that he uses.

Mr Brown bragged that six members of his cabinet were younger than 40, Mr Bush shot back: “You must be feeling damn old, then.”

While Bush heaped praise on Brown, Brown had little to say about Bush, although he stressed the two countries’ shared values.

“I've told President Bush that it’s in Britain's national interest that with all our energies we work together to address all the great challenges that we face, also together,” Mr Brown said, listing these as nuclear proliferation, climate change, global poverty, the Middle East peace process and security.

NO TIMELINE FOR IRAQ: On Iran, the two agreed on the need to pursue tougher sanctions against the country over its nuclear program.

“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.

Brown gave no promises on how long Britain would keep its 5,000 troops in Iraq.

Britain has already handed over security control to Iraqi forces in three of the provinces it was responsible for and Brown said it intends to do the same in the fourth province, Basra, although the decision would be based on military advice.

The head of the British military said last week Britain should be in a position to hand over control of Basra to Iraqi forces by year-end, and a British government source said Mr Brown's comment did not mark an acceleration of the schedule.

Britain’s decision would also take account of a report due in mid-September by the head of US forces in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus, on attempts to quell unrelenting sectarian violence, the source said.

Mr Bush appeared unconcerned at the prospect of British forces withdrawing. “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,” he said.

Brown pointed to Afghanistan and the ousted Taliban as the front line in the battle against extremists.

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,” Bush said.—Reuters