Goodwill Abounds Between Obama, Brown Despite No Live Press Conference

The United States and United Kingdom enjoy a "special" and "strong" relationship, President Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Tuesday -- after British press reports suggested Brown was snubbed by the White House because the leaders did not hold a live joint press conference.

Obama and Brown spoke to reporters Tuesday during a 20-minute question-and-answer session in the Oval Office that followed the leaders' meeting on the world financial crisis.

Obama, who cited the countries' shared language and culture, called Britain one of America's closest allies and said the lengthy bond between the two countries will not be broken.

"I think this notion that somehow there is any lessening of that special relationship is misguided," Obama told reporters.

More than one British newspaper suggested Tuesday that Brown, whose poll numbers in England are sinking under the weight of the recession there, had been slighted because the White House had decided to cancel a live press conference scheduled for the Rose Garden.

But a White House official refuted those claims, telling FOXNews.com that it was always the format for the two leaders not to hold a press conference but to take questions in a "pool spray" or taped recording of the two sitting in the Oval Office.

With snow on the ground and the temperature in Washington, D.C., topping out at 29 degrees on Tuesday, the official said the idea of a Rose Garden event had been tossed around during planning but ultimately canned.

During the Oval Office get-together, Brown thanked Obama for his hospitality and leadership, and said, "I've come here to renew our special relationship for new times."

"It's a partnership of purpose that is founded on a determination to rise to every challenge," he said. "I'm grateful for the conversations I've had with president Obama."

Obama, who said it was his third meeting with Brown, quipped, "I'd like to think that our relationship is terrific -- and I'm sure he won't dispute me in front of me, anyway."

Brown visited the White House Tuesday with the hopes of laying the groundwork for a G-20 economic summit of advanced and developing nations meeting in London next month. The summit, which Brown is chairing, is critical for improving global economic confidence as well as Brown's political prospects.

The prime minister was given ample time to discuss his "global new deal" to rescue the world's economy -- a plan that will require massive spending on a worldwide scale. The president did not embrace every component of Brown's plan, focusing in his support for a new international system for financial regulations.

Obama did not talk about the prime minister's proposal of U.S. participation in a global job-creation effort.

Obama told reporters after his meeting with Brown that there are "a set of shared values and shared assumptions" between the two countries, which includes the belief in a free market and significant regulatory structures in place to restore the banking system.

"We believe in a government that is not overbearing and allows entrepreneurs and businesses to thrive," he said.

Obama also underscored the two countries' commitment to preventing places like Pakistan and Afghanistan from becoming safe havens for terrorists.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.