"One of the things that Prime Minister Brown and I talked about is how can we coordinate so that all the G20 countries, all the major countries around the world, in a coordinated fashion, are stimulating their economies?"

Brown was the first European leader to visit Obama since the president took office on January 20. Ahead of his trip to Washington, he called for a "global New Deal" in which countries would work together to jumpstart growth, revamp financial rules and boost funding to the International Monetary Fund.

"We've had a global banking failure and it's happened in every part of the world," he said. "We've got to rebuild that financial system," Brown added. "We've got to isolate the bad assets. We've got to underwrite the financial system so that loans can start again to businesses and families."

The Brown visit has raised comparisons to the relationship between Obama's and Brown's predecessors, George W. Bush and Tony Blair, who forged a close friendship in the aftermath of September 11 attacks in 2001.

Brown said he hoped his visit would renew already strong bonds. "It's a partnership of purpose that is born out of shared values," he said.