The British prime minister and visiting South African president on Thursday said they would work together on non-proliferation, climate change and economic recovery.

During their meeting at Downing Street, Gordon Brown and Jacob Zuma also discussed their aspiration to promote better education for children around the world.

Brown praised at an ensuing press conference the role South Africa had played in recent years and said he and President Zuma had agreed to work together in the run-up to April's international conference on nuclear non-proliferation and the next G20 Summit in Canada.

The two leaders also discussed how to move forward climate change negotiations following last December's conference in Copenhagen.

South Africa is hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup. An estimated 25,000 England fans are expected to travel to South Africa for the cup tournament.

Brown said: "President Zuma and I have discussed a meeting that President Zuma would chair in South Africa during the time of the World Cup where we would put on the agenda with sportsmen and women from around the world, with governments from around the world, with voluntary and non-governmental organizations from around the world how we can move forward - with the impetus and momentum of the World Cup - to leave a lasting legacy of a commitment to every child in Africa and the world having the chance for primary education for the first time."

President Zuma said, "I think this makes a statement that no-one should doubt our commitment to this historic, very deep relationship with Britain."

Zuma will address members of the South Africa and Africa All Party Parliamentary Groups in the Palace of Westminster, and visit Olympic Park and Wembley Stadium during his stay in London.

Zuma is on a three-day visit to Britain. On Wednesday, he and Brown joined Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at a ceremony in Whitehall and a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

The state visit is an opportunity to reinforce the partnership between the two countries. Britain and South Africa work closely together on a wide range of global issues, from development to climate change.

The two countries enjoy strong trade links, with more than 9 billion pounds (14.4 billion U.S. dollars) worth of two-way trade in goods and services in 2008.