British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has spoken to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and offered assistance in tracking down the culprits of Mumbai terror attacks.

"We have offered whatever help we can to track down whoever is responsible and we will help the Indian Government in its efforts to combat terrorism. So, we will be able to continue to work with India on this issue," Brown said.

He said he had a very good conversation with Singh who is currently recuperating from his recent by-pass heart surgery and he seemed to be in very good health now.

"I had a very good conversation with Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh. I wanted to assure myself that he has our best wishes as he recovered from his by-pass operation.

"He seems to be in very good health now. It is very good to be able to talk to him. He is a very old friend of mine and I enjoy our conversations," Brown told a select group of journalists last evening.

Brown was speaking just days before the G-20 summit in London's Docklands which will be attended among others by Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama.

Answering questions, Brown indicated that G20 summit is expected to take a strong stand against protectionism.

We have got a duty to say protectionism protects no one effectively in the long run and that protectionism can become a road to ruin because world trade declines, companies then receive less orders resulting in job losses. We have a cycle of decline when we are not in a position to trade on successfully with each other.

... contd.