London - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is to be the first European head of government to meet with new US President Barack Obama, in a meeting scheduled for March 3rd in Washington, the British government confirmed on Saturday.

A spokesman for Brown said that the global financial crisis and the situation in Afghanistan would be on the agenda for the meeting, which is due to take place at the White House. A White House statement said that the US and Britain had a "special relationship" and that the president wished to work closely with Brown. (dpa)