Chequers mates

Meeting at Chequers, the British prime minister's country residence, Merkel and Brown held talks on Iran, the global financial crisis, world trade issues and climate change.

A statement released after the meeting by Mr. Brown's office said there was "strong support from both leaders for sanctions and agreement on the continued need to engage with international partners on the issue."

The latter portion of that statement alludes to comments made by China on Wednesday that it was now prepared to hold serious negotiations with the permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, about imposing new sanctions on Iran, setting aside its long-standing skepticism.

The meeting of Merkel and Brown followed discussions in Washington earlier this week between US President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in which both pledged tougher action against Tehran over its refusal to halt its uranium enrichment program. Western countries suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons.

Merkel said that Britain and Germany could make an "important contribution" within Europe by tackling unresolved issues "together."

Later on Thursday, Merkel received the prestigious King Charles II Medal from Britain's Royal Society for her efforts in promoting scientific research. The German chancellor worked as a physicist before entering politics.

gb/dpa/AFP/AP/Reuters

Editor: Susan Houlton