To end deadlock in UK :

Cameron, Clegg in post-vote talks

UK: The leaders of Britain’s Conservatives and Liberal Democrats met for over an hour of talks on Saturday aimed at resolving the stalemate from this week’s election. David Cameron’s Conservatives won the most seats in Thursday’s parliamentary election but fell short of a majority and are seeking the support of Nick Clegg’s centre-left Liberal Democrats to end 13 years of Labour rule.

The parties are under pressure to reach some kind of agreement before the new parliament reconvenes and financial markets become impatient for signs of decisive action to tackle Britain’s record budget deficit, running at more than 11 percent of national output.

Cameron and Clegg met for about 70 minutes at a government building in London, the Lib Dems said. The Conservatives confirmed the meeting.

“Their meeting was amicable and constructive and their teams will meet tomorrow as planned,” a Lib Dem spokesperson said.

Those talks are scheduled for 11 a.m. (1000 GMT).

It is unlikely a deal could be reached by Monday, a Conservative spokesman said earlier, noting that the party’s new members of parliament, who will be briefed on the negotiations, would not meet until Monday evening. A tight election race produced the first inconclusive result since 1974, with voters pushing Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Labour into second place but failing to give Cameron and his centre-right party the outright majority they sought. Cameron wrote to party supporters before news of his meeting with Clegg was disclosed, saying he believed there were areas in which the Conservatives could give ground, such as reducing taxes for the poor.

“Inevitably, these negotiations will involve compromise,” he wrote.

“I hope we can sort things out as quickly as possible, for the good of the country. But we won’t rush into any agreement

The greatest stumbling block to a deal may well be electoral reform, a long cherished ambition of the Lib Dems who would win far more seats if Britain switched from its winner-takes-all system to proportional representation. The Conservatives are firmly opposed to such a change.

London, Sunday, Reuters