Brown says troops staying in Basra

LONDON, April 17 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in an interview ahead of his visit to Washington that British troops would stay in Iraqi until Basra was calm.

Brown said in an interview Tuesday with CBS News that alleviating U.S. concerns over the situation in Iraq could bridge the gap between U.S. and European relations.

"(With) America and Britain working together, and then America and Europe working together -- we can change the global landscape in a way that tackles climate change, that makes for stronger economies," he said.

Talks between Brown and U.S. President George Bush regarding Iraq and particularly the Basra situation could be delicate, The Financial Times said Wednesday.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered a crackdown on insurgent activity in the southern port city in late March.

British forces took the brunt of the initial criticism for their decision to hand over security of the province to the Iraqis too quickly.

Brown spoke strongly of a decision to pause a scheduled British troop deployment from Basra.

"We put it on hold because there was tension in Basra itself. ... We wanted to make sure the situation was stable again before we reduced our troops," he said. "Our plan is to reduce the numbers, as we've announced, over a period of time."