US President George W Bush has denounced "misinformation and propaganda" which he says are sullying his country's image abroad.

On a visit to Italy, he told young entrepreneurs on an exchange programme that going to the US would show them it was compassionate and open.

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The two leaders are expected to discuss further sanctions against Iran, and the role of Italian troops in Afghanistan.

Mr Bush will conclude his visit to Italy on Friday by meeting Pope Benedict XVI. In an unusual break with protocol, they will meet not in the Papal Study, but in the Vatican's gardens.

The Holy See said the Pope wanted to show his gratitude for the hospitality shown to him on his recent visit to the US. Afterwards, Mr Bush will travel to France and the UK.

'Misinformation and propaganda'

Security for President Bush's visit has been very tight.

Commercial flights over the city have been diverted, 10,000 policemen have been mobilised, there are frogmen under bridges and snipers on roofs, and mobile phone signals are being disrupted whenever his motorcade moves, says the BBC's Christian Fraser in Rome.

As Air Force One touched down, hundreds were gathering in the city centre in protest at the Bush administration and Italy's involvement in Afghanistan.

Another group of demonstrators chanted "Bush, go home" outside the American Academy in Rome's Villa Aurelia while the president met young entrepreneurs inside.

Mr Bush urged them to ignore the "misinformation and propaganda" spread about his country and to learn the "first-hand truth about America" by visiting.

"The best diplomacy for America, particularly among young folks, is to welcome you to our country," he said. "We are compassionate, we're an open country, we care about people and we're entrepreneurial."

Shortly afterwards, Mr Bush was greeted by his Italian counterpart, Georgio Napolitano, at his official residence in the Quirinale Palace.

He will later hold talks with Mr Berlusconi, who was staunch supporter of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 during his previous term in office.

After months of pressure from Washington, Mr Berlusconi's administration has removed restrictions on Italian troops serving in combat operations in western Afghanistan for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf).

In return for this co-operation, Italy wants a bigger say on Iran on the grounds that it has recently become the Iranians' largest European trading partner.

Mr Bush has said he supports Italy's bid to join the group of five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany, which has been involved in negotiations about Iran's nuclear programme.

After meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Wednesday, he repeated a warning to Iran that it would face additional sanctions if it continued to defy the international community by refusing to abandon uranium enrichment.

He said diplomatic pressure remained the best path to deal with the issue, but insisted that "all options are on the table".

(BBC)

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