Sarkozy, Brown meet in advance of G8

EVIAN, France, July 8 (UPI) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, meeting one-on-one before the G8 summit, agreed on the need for stimulus spending.

The two leaders held talks Monday in Evian, a French town on Lake Geneva, the EUObserver reported. The Group of Eight summit meeting begins Wednesday in L'Aquila, an Italian town recently devastated by an earthquake.

"If we can get growth, if we can get unemployment down, if we can keep interest rates and inflation down, then there is scope to do the things we want to do, and that is to get money to the frontline services," Brown said at a news conference after the meeting.

Sarkozy said restoring growth is necessary before government spending and deficits can be cut.

"We cannot afford to have low growth rates over many years," he said.

The meeting appeared to be a friendly one.

"President Sarkozy, mon ami, you are truly a force of nature," Brown said.