French PM discussing financial crisis in US

France's prime minister was in Washington on Monday exploring responses to the global economic crisis with U.S. officials and lawmakers.

Francois Fillon was meeting with chief White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers and Vice President Joe Biden. He also planned to meet with lawmakers involved in writing U.S. financial legislation.

France and the United States have diverged on their responses to the crisis. France and other European countries have resisted the suggested U.S. remedy of deficit spending as the answer. Europe wants international bodies created to regulate hedge funds and other high-risk financial institutions.

Fillon is …