Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=4/06/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=BUSH / BLAIR OVERNIGHTER (L)

NUMBER=2-301846

BYLINE= PAULA WOLFSON

DATELINE= WHITE HOUSE

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

/// EDS: BUSH WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE SCHEDULED AT 6:45am EDT MONDAY///

INTRO: President Bush heads to Northern Ireland today (Monday) for talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. V-O-A's Paula Wolfson reports, it is their third summit in less than a month.

TEXT: President Bush and Prime Minister Blair speak to each other almost daily, and they are occasionally crossing the Atlantic to speak face-to-face.

They met in the Portuguese Azores on March 16th, just days before the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and again at Camp David -- the U-S presidential retreat -- a little over a week ago.

This time, the site for their talks is a castle near Belfast, and their agenda is expanding, although Iraq will still dominate their talks. But they will also devote time to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And they will be joined for the final hours of their discussions by leaders of the various factions in Northern Ireland for a look at local peace efforts.

Most of the meetings will take place in private, with a press conference scheduled for Tuesday. With troops from the U-S-led coalition on the move in and around Baghdad, many of the questions are likely to focus on the future -- specifically, the administration of post-war Iraq.

Tony Blair is pushing for a prominent role for the United Nations. But the Bush administration says the coalition should lead immediate post-war reconstruction efforts.

White House officials say they want U-N involvement, but they make clear they believe the Security Council, which did not expressly authorize the war to disarm Iraq, should not take over when the conflict ends. During a recent briefing for reporters, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said the coalition has given "life and blood" to the war effort, and the role of the United Nations is a matter for negotiations.

Ms. Rice is expected to join the president in Belfast after a quick trip Sunday to Moscow for talks with Russian officials who oppose the war with Iraq. On Saturday, President Bush spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. (signed)

NEB/PW/MAR/TW