After arriving in Washington on Wednesday, Blair flew immediately by helicopter to Camp David, Maryland, where he and US President Bush had a two-hour dinner.

Prior to their summit, the two leaders are expected to get an update on the US-led invasion of Iraq, during a joint briefing via video link with Washington, London and coalition military headquarters in Qatar, US officials said.

Afterwards, they will discuss a wide range of issues, including the post-war reconstruction in Iraq and the role of the United Nations in it, the badly strained transatlantic relations over the war and the quest for Palestinian-Israel peace.

Blair is also to meet UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York to discuss possible humanitarian relief efforts on his way back to London.

"It is a common ground between us that the UN has got to be involved in post-conflict Iraq," he told a news conference in London on Wednesday.

(Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2003)