British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair said today it was vital the United Nations play a pivotal role in Iraq after the war.
Mr Blair, who will fly out tomorrow for talks with Mr Bush at Camp David before meeting Mr Annan in New York on Thursday, said his discussions would not just concern the progress of the war but also relief projects and the future of Iraq.
Mr Blair said London and Washington agreed it was vital that the United Nations play a pivotal role in Iraq after the war
Mr Blair denied his visit to Washington was to head off plans for an US civil administration taking control of Iraq once President Saddam Hussein was toppled.
"It is to discuss the humanitarian situation and the important and complex issues that have to be addressed in the post-Saddam era," Mr Blair said.
Mr Blair also said Iraqi civilians were holding back from welcoming coalition forces because they had been let down by the West in the past.
"My message to them is that this time we will not let you down - Saddam and his regime will be removed. Iraq will have a better future," Mr Blair said, in a reference to the 1991 Gulf war that left Saddam in place.
The British leader also warned that allied forces would face "resistance all the way to the end of this campaign".
But Mr Blair said "a huge amount" had been achieved so far in the war, which began last Thursday with US air strikes on the Iraqi capital Baghdad.