Nicolas Sarkozy and Gordon Brown UK-France summit 2008

Nicolas Sarkozy and Gordon Brown UK-France summit 2008; Nicolas Sarkozy (French President) press conference SOT (translated) - Ladies and gentlemen, allow me, before answering your questions, to make a few brief comments. I had the privilege and honour of addressing British parliamentarians yesterday so I do not want to inflict upon you yet another speech which would be repetitious vis-a-vis what I said yesterday. I assure you that I have not changed my mind since yesterday afternoon; I stand by what I said. First of all, I want to thank Gordon Brown for the exemplary cooperation between our two countries. We have known each other for several years now. Gordon Brown was one of the very best finance ministers that Europe has seen over the last 10 years. He did remarkable work in the service of the British economy. Since he moved into 10 Downing Street and I was elected President of the Republic, we have been working hand in glove because, on all issues, our views are extremely close. When they are not absolutely identical, we bring our positions closer together in order to adopt a common, joint position. What I find very interesting and striking is that he should use the expression 'global Europe in a global world'. In fact, I am determined, once I take over the Presidency of the EU, to consult Gordon regularly so that Britain is very much associated with any decision-making process involving Europe. Thank you, Gordon, for the way you have welcomed us. Thank you to you and your wife. Above and beyond my deeply-held conviction that France and Britain must work together, I must say that a personal relationship certainly makes it that much easier to work together; likewise, the way in which our teams work together and talk to one another on a daily basis. In terms of what has come out of the summit, there is a wealth of things to say but I will not comment on these unless you have specific questions. Even more heartening, however, are the futu...