British press urges Brown to be frank with Bush

BRITAIN: The British press on Monday backed the so-called "special relationship" between Britain and the United States, but urged Prime Minister Gordon Brown to be candid with US President George W. Bush.

Brown was at Bush's Camp David, Maryland retreat for a private dinner. But An official meeting between the two is expected to cover Iraq, the crisis in Darfur and stalled global trade talks.

Early editions of the British newspapers were unanimous in their support for strong ties with the United States.

But they also encouraged Brown to be frank with Bush to counter the perception of Britain as a subservient partner to America, a perception that developed during his predecessor Tony Blair's period in office.

"Despite his flattery for the President, he (Brown) knows the damage Blair inflicted on himself and more importantly the country by playing the poodle," the right-wing Daily Mail's editorial column said.

"Yes, it would take some blunt talking. But isn't that what the special relationship should be all about? America may have found a compliant dogsbody in Tony Blair, but what it truly needed was a fearlessly candid friend. We hope it discovers one in Gordon Brown."

The Daily Mirror, a left-wing tabloid, echoed those sentiments, noting in its editorial: "Good friends should speak honestly and frankly to each other, telling difficult home truths when necessary."

"While he (Brown) and a deeply unpopular 'Dubya' are likely to put on a united front in public, we hope in private they are more candid with each other.

"Hopefully, in private at least, Mr Brown will make clear it is time to prepare an exit strategy" from Iraq, the paper said.

On Iraq, The Daily Telegraph, a right-wing paper, noted that the "alliance between Britain and America does not depend on personalities. It rests, rather on shared prejudices and interests."

Meanwhile the world is indebted to the United States for taking the lead in the fight against terrorism, Brown said Sunday, as he traveled to the U.S. for his first meeting with President Bush since becoming British leader.

Brown said he planned to use the visit to strengthen what Britain considers its "most important bilateral relationship."

London and Washington were focused on "the biggest single and immediate challenge the world has to defeat: global terrorism," Brown told reporters traveling with him.

"In this century it has fallen to America to take center stage," Brown said. "America has shown by the resilience and bravery of its people from Sept. 11 that while buildings can be destroyed, values are indestructible."

"And we should acknowledge the debt the world owes to the United States for its leadership in this fight against international terrorism," he said.

London, Monday, AFP, Reuters