LONDON, January 23, SPA -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has spoken with Barack Obama for the first time since his inauguration as president of the United States, Downing Street said on Friday. The telephone conversation, described by a spokesman as "friendly and substantive", covered subjects including the economy and the Middle East as well as other unspecified issues, according to Reuters. No further details were available about how long the conversation lasted or when it took place, and it is unclear who initiated the call. Earlier in the day, Brown had said he was spending a "great deal of my time talking to other countries" about how best to tackle the economic downturn. He has called for internationaljoint action to fight the global financial crisis. The U.S. president is due to visit Britain in April where he is to attend a G20 meeting of the world's leading industrialised and emerging economies. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/628853