Sarkozy and Brown slam Iran for detentions (Roundup)

Jul 6, 2009, 12:29 GMT

Paris - French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Monday harshly criticized the Iranian government for its arrest of British embassy workers following controversial presidential elections there.

'The Iranian people deserve a better government,' Sarkozy said after talks with Brown in the French resort of Evian.

The French president also expressed his country's support for Britain and said the French were 'shocked' by what he called Iran's 'attacks' on Brown's government.

For his part, Brown said the expulsion of foreign diplomats and the detention of embassy workers was 'totally unjustified and unacceptable.'

Brown also warned Tehran that the countries of the European Union were prepared to take measures 'together' in response to the arrests of the British embassy workers.

The France-Britain summit, which also involved a number of ministers from both governments, took place two days before the start of the G8 meeting in Italy, and was used primarily to prepare for it.

According to Sarkozy, 'The year 2009 will be decisive for (financial) regulation, world governance and the fight against global warming.'

Sarkozy said that he would like the G8 to take action against payment structures that foster risk.

'Trading rooms in which bonuses are paid for speculation, that is over,' he said. 'We don't want that kind of capitalism.'

Brown announced that the two leaders had agreed on a March 2010 deadline for sanctions, including a withdrawal of aid, against tax havens that refuse to open their books to investigators.

The British prime minister also said the two countries had agreed to collaborate on new industrial areas to bolster economic growth, such as nuclear energy, low-carbon industries, bio-science and bio-technology.