Cameron meets Merkel

British Prime Minister David Cameron, in Berlin on Friday for his first talk with German Chancellor Angela Merkel since taking office last week, said his country wanted to be a "positive player" in Europe.

"I want us to work together to achieve the economic stability, the growth and the action on European deficits that we know is very much in the interests of all our countries," Cameron said in a press conference following the meeting.

But he emphasized that he did not want to see any treaty changes that would result in a "transfer of power from Westminster to Brussels."

Cameron's visit comes as the finance ministers of European Union countries were meeting in Brussels to discuss ways to restore confidence in the euro currency and how to sanction members who fail to meet budget and debt rules. Cameron said that the stability of the euro was important to the UK as well, but stressed that his government wanted no part in solving the eurozone's problems.

"Britain is not a member of the euro, nor are we likely to become a member of the euro, but we want a strong and stable eurozone; that is where 50 percent of our trade goes and it's in our interest that that takes place," Cameron said.

Cameron said that Britain and Germany would cooperate on G20 and G8 agenda items, especially those dealing with banking regulation.

svs/dpa/AFP/Reuters
Editor: Martin Kuebler