Cameron, Hollande to meet for first face-to-face talks

PanARMENIAN.Net - UK Prime Minister David Cameron will hold his first face-to-face talks with newly-elected French President Francois Hollande on Friday, May 18 as they join world leaders in the U.S. for a G8 summit set to be dominated by the eurozone crisis, AFP reports.

Cameron has said he hopes he will find "common ground" with France's new socialist leader, who defeated incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy on a promise to put growth before austerity.

Cameron said Thursday that while he would do "whatever it takes" to shelter the UK from the fallout of the Greek debt crisis, the coalition's tough deficit-reduction strategy would stay.

But in an article published on the Politics Home website on the eve of the G8 summit, he put action to promote growth at the head of a wishlist of results from the gathering - and said he would push for new trade deals to achieve it.

The Prime Minister wrote that success at the G8 required "frank discussions on the issues that matter most for our security and prosperity" including "the resolve to return our own economies to strong and sustainable growth".

Cameron will sit down with his French counterpart in Washington for talks ahead of full-scale discussions on how to prevent the eurozone crisis spiraling into a global disaster.

On their agenda will also be Afghanistan, with the Prime Minister expected to press Hollande about an election pledge to withdraw France's 3,400 troops from the country this year.

That is two years ahead of the exit date agreed by NATO, whose own summit focused on the exit strategy will be attended by Cameron in Chicago later in the weekend.

The Anglo-French talks - at the British ambassador's residence - will also focus on Iran, Syria, and defense cooperation.