Blair hails agreement with Berlusconi

Friday, 27 May 2005 12:00 AM

Prime Minister Tony Blair said today that the British and Italian governments were in agreement "on all the key issues" as he completed the first stage of his whirlwind G8 diplomacy tour.

The Prime Minister is attempting to visit the leaders of all the G8 countries before July's summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.

He will be seeking the backing for plans to double aid to Africa and schemes to tackle global warming.

Mr Blair's official spokesman said there was "real negotiation going on" but the outcome would not be known until the talks finished.

He added: "We are seeing real signs of progress. We are not in any way dampening our ambitions for Gleneagles. Unless you are ambitious you do not make progress."

Speaking at a press conference in Rome with the Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, Mr Blair said they had discussed Britain's agenda for its presidency of the G8 and the British presidency of the EU and reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan had also been on the agenda.

"The talks that we've had together have been both friendly and constructive, and we have found ourselves as many times before in agreement on all the key issues," he said.

The Italian leader said he would back Mr Blair "with regard to the themes he will look into".

He declared himself "totally satisfied" with their meeting, and congratulated Mr Blair on his "extraordinary success" in winning a third term in government.

One priority for the presidency of the EU would be economic reform in Europe, which the Prime Minister labeled "essential" in the face of the threat posed by emerging economies such as China and France.

"The big issue that faces our citizens now in Europe is how do we increase our prosperity in an era of globalisation, in an era of intense competition not just within Europe but outside Europe [as well]."

On Iraq, Mr Blair stressed the work that the international forces were doing to help establish democracy and increase the ability of the Iraqi security forces to control the country.

However, he appeared to leave the door open for an indefinite UK presence in Iraq, saying the timeframe would be set by "the job being done", not some arbitrary date.

Following his visit to Rome, Mr Blair will also travel to Washington, Moscow, Paris and Germany, and will hold video talks with Canada and Japan to garner support for his plans ahead of the summit.

It is widely predicted that the US will not accept his environmental three-point plan and remains cynical about plans for an International Finance Facility.

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