Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien's office was notified by White House national security adviser Condoleezza Rice that Bush will postpone the planned May 5 visit to Ottawa, according to the National Post newspaper.

But Chretien's official spokesman Jim Munson denied the report.

"We have not received any official word from the White House ... (or) unofficial word from Washington," he said.

Ottawa would not be surprised at a postponement due to the ongoing war against Iraq, he added.

The White House would neither confirm nor deny the trip had been postponed.

Canada did not support the US-led military intervention in Iraq and refused to participate without UN approval.

US Ambassador Paul Cellucci last month rebuked Ottawa for not fully supporting its closest neighbor and ally, and criticized anti-American comments from within the Chretien government.

In November, a Chretien spokeswoman had to resign after calling Bush a "moron."

More recently, antiwar Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish called Americans "bastards" and Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal said Bush had failed as a statesman.

Questioned Friday about the possibility that Bush might cancel his trip Chretien responded: "I don't know what will happen. So far it's on. But it's coming at an awkward time for him."

If Bush were unable to come to Ottawa next month, "we will invite him again," he added.

Chretien had himself cancelled a trip to Washington to receive an award in late March, but Munson downplayed an apparently growing rift.

"The (US) president understands that we have been there on a number of other fronts" and Ottawa has made its position on the war against Iraq known for quite some time, he told AFP.

He cited the welcome Canada gave to dozens of diverted planes and thousands of people headed to the United States on September 11, 2001 as well as the country's contribution to the war on terrorism as evidence of Canada's willingness to cooperate.

Canada also has three ships, a handful of planes and about 1,000 soldiers -- including 31 integrated with coalition troops on the ground in Iraq as part of training program -- in the Gulf, where they are supporting the continued war against terrorism.

"We're disagreeing, but that can't mean we won't remain friends once this is over," Munson said, referring to a difference of opinion rather than a strain in relations.

But the decision by a Canadian navy commander in the Gulf not to hand over any fugitive members of the Iraqi regime was the final straw for the US government to delay the Bush visit, according according to a source cited by the National Post.

Local media are also reporting that Chretien and Bush may reschedule the visit in the fall, possibly in November when a new Liberal Party leader will be elected, but Munson declined to predict a date.

The United States and Canada have the world's largest trading partnership, with some 1.3 billion dollars (894 million US dollars) in goods traded daily across their shared 8,900-kilometer (5,500-mile) border.

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