British Prime Minister Tony Blair is heading to Washington to hold talks with President Bush, and the Middle East peace process will be high on their agenda.
The two men will meet in the wake of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's death. Mr. Blair says reaching a peace accord in the troubled region is "the international community's highest priority."
Mr. Blair's spokesman says Britain and the United States hope to send a signal to the Middle East that the two countries are serious about the peace process.
The meeting is Mr. Bush's first with a foreign leader since his re-election last week. Mr. Blair has been under intense criticism at home over his strong support for the US-led invasion of Iraq.