Prime Minister Blair has made tackling climate change and relieving African poverty the twin goals of his year-long presidency of the G8. He will host his fellow leaders at the Gleneagles hotel in Scotland from Wednesday to Friday.

"I really don't view our relationship as one of quid pro quo," Bush told Britain's ITV1 television in an interview. "Tony Blair made decisions on what he thought was best for keeping the peace and winning the war on terror, as I did.

"So I go to the G8 not really trying to make him look bad or good, but I go to the G8 with an agenda that I think is best for our country."

British media reported on Monday that a frantic last-ditch round of negotiations by senior G8 officials over the weekend in London would result in an accord that goes some way to recognising the science behind global warming.

French President Jacques Chirac said on Sunday the G8 leaders were "heading toward an agreement."

But in the interview, Bush was cautious, and environmental experts said rather than risk an open rift, the eight leading nations had decided on an accord offering the barest minimum on planetary warming.