British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who heads to the United States on Sunday for his first meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush, has pledged to maintain strong ties between the two countries.
Brown, who succeeded Tony Blair in June, said in a statement released on Saturday that he will ensure Washington of the "single most important bilateral relationship" between Britain and the United States.
He said he hopes "the relationship with the United States is not only strong but can become stronger in the years ahead."
Britain has long been a staunch ally of the United States, and supports the Iraq war launched by the Bush administration. The change of premiership has prompted speculation that Britain might accelerate troop withdrawals from Iraq.
Britain has been gradually withdrawing its troops from Iraq and now has about 5,500 troops in the south of that country.
On Thursday, the White House said Bush was due to hold talks with Brown at Camp David early next week.
Brown will arrive on Sunday night and have dinner and meetings at Camp David, Maryland on Monday. The two leaders will focus on "continuing to move forward on issues of shared interests and concerns," including U.S. efforts to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, as well as the issues of Iraq, Iran, Kosovo and Darfur, according to White House spokesman Tony Snow.
Source: Xinhua
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