LONDON (AFP) — US President George W. Bush arrived in Britain on Sunday to meet Queen Elizabeth II and hold talks with Prime Minister Gordon Brown on issues including Iraq and Iran's suspect nuclear programme.
Bush, whose presidential Air Force One airplane landed just after 1:50 pm (1250 GMT), came to Britain after stops in Slovenia, Germany, Italy, the Vatican and France on a European farewell trip.
After touching down at London's Heathrow airport, Bush and his wife Laura were flown by helicopter to Windsor Castle, west of the capital, where he will have afternoon tea with the 82-year old monarch and her husband Prince Philip.
They then head for dinner with Brown and his wife, Sarah, amid tight security and a potential stand-off between police and anti-war campaigners opposed to British and US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During the trip, Bush will hold talks with British premier Brown but the issue of Iraq is threatening to cloud discussions.
Prior to his arrival, a senior US official denied a report that Bush would warn his counterpart against premature troop withdrawal in Iraq.
A Downing Street spokeswoman told AFP that there was "absolutely no disagreement" with the United States over the issue.
She added that talks would also include climate change, the state of the global economy and ongoing efforts to clinch an international trade liberalisation deal.
Bush will head to Northern Ireland on Monday, his last stop before flying home.
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