UK's Blair 'will back Bush presidency'

Blair plans to meet Bush soon

LONDON, England -- UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced he plans to meet U.S. President-elect George W. Bush soon in an attempt to forge "the best possible relationship."

He said it was "absolute nonsense" to think his Labour government would have trouble getting along with the incoming Republican administration.

Blair said he had a very good personal relationship with outgoing U.S. President Bill Clinton, a Democrat with whom he has spoken often and swapped policy ideas.

But he said: "It is my job and my duty to have the best possible relationship" with Bush," adding that he had "no doubt" this would happen.

Blair said officials on both sides of the Atlantic were trying to set up a meeting date between the two leaders soon.

Speaking on the BBC's Breakfast with Frost, he said: "I think it is more likely that I will go over there sometime in the next few months."

He denounced as "dangerous bunkum" the idea that Britain had to chose between keeping its longstanding special relationship with Washington and deeper ties with Europe.

"I just say this for anybody who wants to cause trouble between Britain and America: the only people who ever benefit from that are the world's bad guys."

Blair also played down expectations he would move quickly to call a referendum on adopting the euro if his party won a second term in elections which must be held in the next 18 months.

Blair party enjoys a healthy lead in opinion polls and is widely expected to call an election this spring, with May being the pundits' favoured date.

While an election need not be called in Britain until May 2002, popular British governments often try to renew their mandate early.

Blair restated his belief that euro entry was primarily an economic rather than political issue: "The effect on jobs and industry and investment are the key tests.

"That's not to say that political considerations and constitutional questions aren't important, but we have resolved those in our own mind, in favour of the principle of Britain going in, but it's got to be the right decision for the British economy," he said.

Blair remains in favour of Britain joining the euro zone "when the time is right", although other members of the cabinet, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, are said to harbour serious reservations.

The opposition Conservative Party is against adopting the euro in the foreseeable future, although some old-guard party members are strongly pro-euro.

Blair said the economy would be the key battleground in Britain's coming general election -- but declined to say just when he would call voters to the polls.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Bush: The world reacts
December 14, 2000
The U.S. and Britain: A special relationship
December 13, 2000

Republican Party
British Government

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.