Bush to meet families of the fallen

President George Bush is to visit the families of British soldiers killed in Iraq as part of a charm offensive planned for his state visit next week. During his three-day visit, Mr Bush will offer the sympathy "of the American people and the prayers of the President" and tell them their loved ones "did not die in vain".

Mr Bush revealed the move in interviews ahead of his visit, expected to be the focus of mass protests over Iraq and to be dogged by security rows.

When asked about the families of the 54 British soldiers killed in Iraq, Mr Bush said: "I am going to meet some.

"There's two messages. One, the prayers of the American people and the prayers of the President are with them, as they suffer. Secondly, that I

will tell them that their loved ones did not die in vain.

"The actions we have taken will make the world more secure and the world more peaceful in the long run."

Striking a conciliatory note, he said he had not given much thought to the anti-war demonstrators but admired a country where political dissent could be vigorously expressed.

He went out of his way praise Tony Blair as a "strong leader" and claimed the two leaders discussed the future of Iraq on a "weekly basis". He said: "He tells you what he thinks and he does what he says he's going to do. That's about as high a compliment as I can pay a fellow leader."

He also hinted the coalition wanted to speed up the process of handing Iraq back to its own people.