Clinton, Blair Talks To Clear Ba-Aa Pact

British prime minister Tony Blair and US president Bill Clinton have paved the way for the final approval of a long-delayed global alliance between British Airways Plc and American Airlines, the Guardian reported on Saturday. A tie-up has been awaiting US and European Union regulatory approval for two years, but the newspaper said Blair and Clinton agreed during talks in Washington last week that the deal must go ahead. The closeness between Blair and president Clinton virtually decided the successful outcome to a series of lengthy negotiations and objections which have been going on for 18 months, the Guardian said in a front-page report. Both men have agreed that their governments must press ahead with the deal and break the log-jam.