Lima  - Outgoing US President George W Bush stressed ahead of his trip to Peru to attend the annual APEC Leaders' Meeting that he has not neglected relations with Latin America, as many critics have claimed.

"I care about our Latin American neighbours," he noted in an exclusive interview that the Peruvian daily El Comercio published in Spanish on Friday.

Washington - US President George W Bush will hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Monday, the first meeting between the two leaders since the White House acknowledged that a peace deal by the end of the year is unreachable.

Bush and Olmert will discuss the peace process with the Palestinians as well as bilateral and regional issues, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Thursday.

The White House conceded on November 6 that achieving an Israeli- Palestinian peace accord by the time Bush leaves office January 20 was unlikely, citing the political turmoil in Israel that has slowed negotiations.

Washington  - US President George W Bush on Monday telephoned Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi in a sign of warmer ties following an agreement to compensate victims of terrorism.

"The two leaders discussed that this agreement should help to bring a painful chapter in the history between our two countries closer to closure," Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman, said.

The US government confirmed earlier this month that 1.5 billion dollars had been transferred by Libya into a fund to compensate victims or their families for terrorist attacks.

Washington - It was a farewell without fanfares, tears or dollops of praise. Instead, US President George W Bush ended his last press conference after an international summit with a simple "goodbye."

Everyone present understood: this was no "see you soon." Indeed, this weekend's historic meeting in Washington to come up with solutions to the global financial crisis was simultaneously Bush's last turn on the world stage. All that remains is some wrapping up of loose administrative ends.

Washington - US President George W Bush hailed an agreement by world leaders on Saturday to implement broad reforms to the international financial system without infringing on the free-market principles that are the backbone of the global economy.

"This was a very successful summit," Bush said at the conclusion of an emergency conference in Washington designed to stave off a rapid collapse of the world economy.

Washington - World leaders agreed to "substantive" measures Saturday to reform the international finance system to ensure the global economy does not suffer from another crisis caused by faulty loans and risky banking policies, US President George W Bush said Saturday.

"This was a very successful summit," Bush said at the conclusion of an emergency conference in Washington designed to stave off a rapid collapse of the world economy.