Queen Elizabeth, Bush salute shared values and banter a bit (Roundup)

By Tony Czuczka May 7, 2007, 16:59 GMT

Washington - President George W Bush welcomed Queen Elizabeth II on Monday with warm words and a pomp-laden ceremony celebrating US-British ties, but he also got a laugh when he fumbled his lines at the queen's expense.

The two leaders solemnly cited their shared values of democracy and freedom at the start of Elizabeth's state visit to White House, which began with a 21-gun salute and was to include the most formal dinner of Bush's presidency.

As Bush listed the number of official exchanges between Elizabeth and the US over the years, he stumbled over his words.

'You helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 - in 1976,' he said.

The queen shot him a sharp or jesting look - it wasn't clear from afar - prompting Bush to quip, 'She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child.'

Laughter rippled through several thousand guests crowding the White House lawn on a cool, sunny morning. Bush recovered, praising the 81-year-old queen as 'a good person, a strong leader and a great ally.'

He emphasized the heritage of democracy, going back to England's Magna Carta nearly 800 years ago and British parliaments that 'established principles that guide all modern democracies.'

Alluding to the war in Iraq and difficulties there, Bush said both nations were 'defending liberty against tyranny and terror.'

'Our work has been hard. The fruits of our work have been difficult for many to see,' he said.

Elizabeth, wearing a white jacket with black scalloped collar and cuffs and a black-and-white hat, took a broader view of what she portrayed as strong, deep ties.

'A state visit provides us with a brief opportunity to step back from our current preoccupations to reflect on the very essence of our relationship,' she said.

She recalled her visit last week to Jamestown to mark 400 years since the founding of Jamestown, the first British settlement in what would become the US.

'My two days in Virginia gave me a new insight into those events which helped to shape this country's development and to lay the foundations of this great nation based on shared principles of equality, democracy and the rule of law,' she said.

Monday evening, Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, were to be guests of honour at the White House's first white-tie dinner since Bush became president in 2001.

Strict dress code for the informal Texan president and US officials includes tails and broad white collars for the men and long dresses for the ladies.