British Prime Minister Tony Blair's talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Monday are expected to touch on differences over the EU budget and the bloc's new constitution. The visit was part of a three-day trip during which Blair's office said he would be pushing for agreement on his G-8 priorities of tackling poverty in Africa and climate change. Still, the European issues seemed likely to dominate the talks in Berlin, focusing on the two countries' disagreements in recent days. Last week, Schroeder pressed for quick agreement on the EU budget, even as Britain insisted its long-standing rebate was not negotiable. At the same time, Germany has ratified the new EU constitution and has pushed for other countries to forge ahead with the process, despite recent "no" votes in France and the Netherlands. Britain has put its referendum on the issue on hold. Blair began Monday in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The trip was also to take him to Luxembourg and France, the Associated Press reported.
