Bush heads to Britain for last stop of Europe tour

PARIS (Reuters) - President George W. Bush heads for Britain on Sunday on the final stop of a European farewell tour, having won support on the continent for a ratcheting up of pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.

With much of Europe still smarting over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Bush has spent a lot of his trip trying to forge a united front to press Iran to suspend its enrichment of uranium which could be used to build nuclear bombs.

There have been only muted anti-Bush protests, in contrast to the big rallies that marred his previous visits. He was warmly greeted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Silvo Berlusconi and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Germany, Italy and France all offered support for efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and Merkel went a step further, backing more sanctions on Tehran if it refuses the latest request from world powers that it stop enrichment.

"Much of my discussions on this trip have been dominated by this subject because our allies understand that a nuclear-armed Iran is incredibly destabilizing, and they understand that it would be a major blow to world peace," Bush said on Saturday.

White House officials have described discussions about trade, climate change and other issues as productive but have announced no breakthroughs or major initiatives.

Bush and his wife Laura will spend Sunday afternoon meeting Queen Elizabeth and touring Windsor Castle before attending a dinner in London with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and holding talks with him on Monday.

FORMAL RELATIONSHIP

Bush has a more formal relationship with the British leader than with Brown's predecessor Tony Blair, Washington's staunchest ally over Iraq. Both Bush and Brown are struggling in opinion polls and face criticism over Iraq and economic issues.

Bush was quoted by Britain's Observer newspaper on Sunday as saying in an interview he would urge Brown not to set any timetable for the withdrawal of British forces from Iraq. Only about 4,000 British troops remain.

Britain had intended to reduce the figure to about 2,500 by now and possibly pull all its forces out by the end of the year, but with the situation still unstable on the ground, especially in the southern city of Basra, that now appears unfeasible.

When Brown visited Washington in April he caused a stir by meeting the 2008 presidential candidates before Bush, a sign of how leaders are increasingly looking towards a new president.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the two men still had a lot to discuss.

"(The agenda included) Iran's defiance of the international community, the need to address climate change and energy security, fostering Middle East peace, helping the people of Africa and defeating extremists in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world," he said.

Like other European countries, Britain has been hit by fuel price protests and there is growing pressure on Brown to take action to limit the rise in energy costs.

Brown has agreed to attend a meeting on June 22 called by Saudi Arabia that is designed to address soaring energy prices. Bush has said he would send a high-level U.S. official.

Bush will see his old friend Blair, now the representative of the international Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators. The president has been pushing to reach a framework deal on a Palestinian state before he leaves office in January 2009.

He is expected to travel to Northern Ireland on Monday after meeting Brown before returning to Washington in the evening.

(Additional reporting by David Clarke in London; editing by Andrew Roche and Ralph Gowling)