Sarkozy keeps the new president on line for 30 minutes

NICOLAS Sarkozy today stole a lead on other world leaders in the race to build closer ties with president-elect Barack Obama.

The French leader's office said that he had held talks with Mr Obama for 30 minutes, compared with only 10 minutes of discussions between Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the future US president.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he had Mr Obama on the line for 10 to 15 minutes. Other world leaders were yet to declare the length of their phone calls so the French president, who was quick out of the traps, enjoyed a short-lived early victory.

The length of the Franco-US discussions could also be down to terrier-like Mr Sarkozy's passion for rhetorical flourishes and the eagerness in Paris to further improve relations with Washington after the spectacular falling out between President George Bush and former French president Jacques Chirac.

In contrast, Mr Brown is likely to have been far more matter of fact, though British diplomats are fully aware of the need to protect the "special relationship" between Britain and America.

Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said the president-elect had spoken to Mr Brown, Mr Sarkozy, Mr Rudd, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

Mr Brown and Mr Obama were said to have had a "very friendly and positive" discussion which covered Iraq, Iran, the Middle East and the global economic crisis, according to Whitehall sources.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Mr Obama on his election win in a letter, the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a US president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Mr Obama has not ruled out military action to stop Tehran obtaining nuclear weapons.

Today he was gathering together his economic advisers before addressing America about the greatest financial threat since the Thirties.

At his first press conference as president-elect, he was also expected to give an indication about the make-up of his incoming administration, in particular whether he will include leading Republicans.

His most crucial appointment, though, will be his choice for Treasury Secretary. Some Obama insiders say this decision has already been made - and there is speculation outside the camp that it could be Larry Summers, Bill Clinton's former Treasury Secretary, or Timothy Geithner, the chairman of the New York Fed. Other names include Paul Volcker, the 81-year-old former Fed chairman, and Jon Corzine, a former Goldman Sachs chief who is now governor of New Jersey.

Republicans who could be asked to play a role in the new administration include Defence Secretary Robert Gates, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger.