UPDATE 1-Britain, Mexico seek financial crisis coordination
* Britain and Mexico want international coordination
* Both seek commitment against any new trade barriers
(Adds comments, background)
LONDON, March 30 (Reuters) - Britain and Mexico committed themselves on Monday to coordinating a response with other countries to restore growth, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Mexican President Felipe Calderon said in a joint statement.
"We commit to a continued effort to ensure a swift and strong recovery, stimulating our economies in the most effective ways possible in coordination with other key economies across the globe," they said after meeting in London.
"We recognise that such interventions should promote job creation, protect the interests of taxpayers and savers, and avoid undermining the principles of free trade and open markets."
Brown and Calderon said they wanted to see a commitment made by global policy-makers in Washington in November not to raise any new trade barriers reaffirmed and strengthened at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in London this week.
Both Calderon, leader of Mexico's conservative National Action Party, and centre-left Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have spoken out on the need to resist the temptation of protectionism in the face of the global financial crisis [ID:nLU336923].
Calderon is on a state visit to Britain before Thursday's G20 summit, where alongside Brazil and Argentina he has said he wants to raise the region's profile.
"Mexico is taking on a more active role so that the voice of Latin America may be heard throughout the world," Calderon said at a state banquet held in his honour at Buckingham Palace.
"Our region wants to be an important actor in the major changes the world is undergoing today."
During the state visit, Mexico's first since 1985, Calderon will meet the heads of Britain's three main political parties and business leaders.
Speaking at a news conference after meeting Brown, Calderon emphasised his desire to forge stronger trade links with Britain, particularly in sectors with a strong Mexican presence such as transport, telecommunications and energy.
With the country's international reputation tarnished in recent years by increasingly violent drug wars, he will want to send the business world the message that Mexico is a safe place in which to invest. Continued...
