Sarkozy's trip to London canceled

LONDON, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's inability to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy prompted Sarkozy to cancel his trip to London, diplomats said.

Diplomatic sources told The Daily Telegraph that Sarkozy asked about visiting London when he met Brown during the Commonwealth Summit in Trinidad. However, efforts to set up a meeting in London were unsuccessful.

But which country canceled the visit is fodder for speculation, The Times of London reported. A spokesman for Sarkozy said "longstanding" engagements forced the cancellation of the London trip, while Brown's office said British officials canceled the visit.

Sarkozy caused consternation in Britain when he described the British as "the big losers" in recent European Commission changes, in which former French Agriculture Commissioner Michel Barnier was installed as the new European Union Single Market Commissioner.

Sarkozy hinted that London could see more regulation from Brussels, seat of the European Union.

"I want the world to see the victory of the European model, which has nothing to do with the excesses of financial capitalism," he said.

However, diplomats told the Telegraph Sarkozy told Brown he would visit London to calm fears that the city would be subject to French-style regulation and that his remarks were intended for his French audience.