Bush, Blair Meet at White House

(White House Report) (360)





BUSH MEETS WITH BRITAIN'S BLAIR AT WHITE HOUSE





President Bush and Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair were to meet


for several hours of discussions at the White House the afternoon of


January 31. Their plans to meet at the Camp David presidential retreat


in the mountains outside Washington were scrapped because of poor


weather.





Their discussions will include "how to promote peace in the Middle


East" and "how to keep the pressure on so Iraq's Saddam Hussein


disarms," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters.





BUSH PHONES VACLAV HAVEL





President Bush the morning of January 31 phoned Vaclav Havel,


President of the Czech Republic, Fleischer reported. Havel was one of


the signators of the letter signed by eight European leaders,


published in many newspapers January 30, in support of transatlantic


cooperation on Iraq.





BUSH PHONES PRESIDENT DUHALDE OF ARGENTINA





President Bush January 31 phoned Argentina's President Eduardo Duhalde


and congratulated him on an agreement with the International Monetary


Fund that will provide $6.78 billion in new loans to help deal with


the worst financial crisis in Argentina's history.





In his telephone call Bush stressed that successful implementation of


an IMF-approved economic reform program would build on the success


Duhalde's government has achieved in stabilizing the economic


situation in South America's second largest economy, Fleischer told


reporters.





The IMF announced last week that it was providing Argentina with the


new loans.





BUSH RADIO ADDRESS AND WEEK AHEAD





Fleischer said the president's weekly radio address Saturday, February


1, will cover humanitarian issues as well as foreign policy, but will


not specifically discuss Iraq. It is expected to contain some


news-making items, Fleischer said.





Monday, February 3, Bush visits the National Institutes of Health


(NIH); the subject is bioterrorism;





Tuesday, February 4, Bush meets at the White House with Sheik Hamad


bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain;





Wednesday, February 5, Bush meets at the White House with Leszek


Miller, the Prime Minister of Poland;





Thursday, February 6, Bush makes statements on his energy initiative;





Friday, February 7, Bush will depart White House for Camp David for


the weekend.