It was a valiant diplomatic effort. But Barack Obama has decided against meeting Gordon Brown at the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Washington. In spite of days of frantic behind the scenes work by British officials, there will be no powwow between the president-elect and the “chancellor of the world”.

Downing Street had hoped such a meeting would be possible. The main consolation will be that Obama has turned down all invites. While the leaders of Russia, France, India, China, Germany and Japan are gathered in Washington for what Brown calls “Bretton Woods II”, Obama will be planning how to change the world 700 miles away in Chicago. No wonder officials are privately playing down the prospects of a big breakthrough this weekend.

Why did Obama take the diplomatically “awkward” decision to stay away? He is concerned about overshadowing the serving president and conducting high-diplomacy before he is in high-office, according to the NY Times.

The potential for even more significant misunderstanding was underscored last weekend when a quick, seemingly perfunctory telephone call by Mr. Obama returning the congratulatory call of Poland’s president led to a dispute about what was said about missile defense. If confusion over such a delicate issue could arise from a roughly five-minute phone call, Obama advisers reasoned, then the prospect of longer encounters in person with foreign leaders at this point would be fraught with peril. He has not even designated a secretary of state, Treasury secretary or national security adviser.

Instead, the Obama team is scrambling to arrange for surrogates to meet with visiting foreign officials while emphasizing that Mr. Bush remains the nation’s leader until Jan. 20. “It’s not appropriate for two people to show up for this meeting,” said John D. Podesta, co-chairman of Mr. Obama’s transition team.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyk9pFLR8nc[/youtube]

November 12, 2008 10:47am in Foreign policy, Gordon Brown | Comment