British PM speaks with Trump for first time since their twitter dispute

LONDON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump in a telephone call on Tuesday afternoon for the first time since a dispute over Trump's tweets at the end of last month.

A Downing Street spokesperson said May called Trump earlier in the afternoon and began by offering her condolences over the loss of life in the terrible train derailment in Washington state.

The spokesperson said May and Trump discussed the different positions the two countries took on the recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, and agreed on the importance of the United States bringing forward new proposals for peace and the international community supporting these efforts.

May also raised Yemen, highlighting Britain's ongoing deep concerns at the humanitarian situation. The two leaders agreed on the vital importance of reopening humanitarian and commercial access to prevent famine and alleviate the suffering of innocent Yemenis.

"The Prime Minister updated the President on the recent good progress of the Brexit negotiations, and the President set out the progress he had made on his economic agenda. They agreed on the importance of a swift post-Brexit bilateral trade deal," said the spokesperson.

The "special relationship" between Trump and May has suffered in recent weeks following the U.S. president's decision to retweet a series of videos posted by Jayda Fransen, deputy leader of far-right group Britain First.

But during this afternoon's phone conversation, the two leaders did not discuss the Britain First controversy. The spokesperson said "they wished each other a very Merry Christmas and looked forward to keeping in close touch." Enditem