Bush and Blair thrash out future

Tony Blair and George Bush will today attempt to settle a critical dispute over the future of post-war Iraq in the unlikely setting of Belfast.

They will use a dinner tonight to thrash out key differences between London and Washington over the involvement of the United Nations in Iraq after Saddam Hussein is removed.

Mr Blair will also urge America to speed up work on the Middle East peace process in a bid to calm tensions in Arab states.

The opportunity for the pair's second round of face-to-face talks in a fortnight was thrown up by pre-planned talks in the Ulster peace process. President-Bush agreed to take time out from the war to play a walk-on part in the Belfast meetings, which are expected to lead to a breakthrough this week.

The arrival of President Bush is a coup for the Prime Minister and proof of the importance attached by the White House to British support during the war.

The president is notoriously shy of foreign travel, especially while his country is at war. Mr Blair will urge him to re-engage with the UN as soon as the fighting stops in Baghdad and to give the UN a major role in the reconstruction of Iraq.

Washington hawks want the UN to be frozen out of post-Saddam Iraq in retaliation for the refusal of the Security Council to give explicit authorisation for military action.

At stake are billions of pounds' worth of reconstruction contracts which the hawks fear would be given to countries like France which opposed the war. The US wants the bulk of work to go to its own firms.

Mr Bush has so far only committed to allowing the UN to distribute humanitarian-aid but Mr Blair is determined to persuade him to go to the Security Council to obtain blessing for the planned interim government which will be led by a retired US general.

A Downing Street spokesman said there was "no doubt" that the UN would have a role and added: "The more we have an international involvement, the smoother it will go."

Ministers have distanced themselves from comments by Peter Hain, the Welsh Secretary, who put himself at odds with the US by demanding the UN be put "in charge" of post-war Iraq.