As coalition forces pounded the heart of Baghdad for the second day, Bush and Blair were to meet at Hillsborough Castle, south of Belfast, where the two leaders had a working dinner Monday.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw were to join the discussion.

On Monday, Powell said the Iraq war was going "exceptionally well" and that Washington wanted to move quickly on an interim authority for the country.

Concerning the Middle East, Powell said that despite Britain's desire for quicker progress, a promised "road map" towards peace between Israelis and Palestinians would not be published before Palestinian prime minister-designate Abu Mazen is confirmed in office.

Bush and Blair were to hold a press conference around 11 amTuesday.

Later, the two leaders were to be joined for lunch by Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, to be followed by talks with Northern Ireland's political leaders on the Good Friday peace accords signed five years ago this week.

British officials hope the summit with give a fillip to efforts to end three decades of sectarian strife in the British province, which London sees as a potential template for resolving conflicts in the Middle East.

Both Powell and a Downing Street spokesman minimized reported differences between the United States and Britain over how important a role the United Nations should play in post-war Iraq.

Britain reportedly wants the United Nations to oversee any interim Iraqi military administration while Washington seeks initial US-British military control.

"There isn't as much debate and disagreement about this as you might read in the newspapers," Powell said Monday.

The United States and Britain agree that the United Nations should play a role in distributing humanitarian aid and in running the oil-for-food program.

But when fighting ends, "the military commander must be in charge for a period of time to stabilize the country," Powell said.

"The coalition, having spent the treasure, having taken the political risk and having paid the cost in lives, must have a leading role as we transitioin from a phase of hostilities to post-hostilities to reconstruction, to putting in place a representative government that belongs to the Iraqi people," Powell said.

A spokesman for Blair said there were "practical commonsense issues that have to be sorted out."

"The aim of all three voices in this, ourselves, the Americans and the UN is precisely the same -- an Iraq not run by us, not by the Americans or by the UN but by the Iraqis as soon as possible," the Blair spokesman said.

The United Nations had made it clear that it had neither the capacity nor the desire to run Iraq, Powell and Blair's spokesman said.

But in New York, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warned that UN involvement was required to confer legitimacy on any post-conflict administration in Baghdad.

Security was tight for the summit hastily announced last week, with police in Belfast responding Monday to three bomb alerts -- including one at the airport where Air Force One landed.

More than 1,000 anti-war demonstrators protested at Hillsborough Castle Monday.

SPACE.WIRE