US president George W. Bush has arrived in the Italian capital Rome at the start of a European tour

US president George W. Bush has arrived in the Italian capital Rome at the start of a European tour as the US and her allies try to secure a deal on a new UN resolution on Iraq. Starting in Rome, Mr Bush will mark the 60-year anniversary of the liberation of the Eternal City from Nazi occupation. There he will meet with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, before making the short trip to the Vatican to visit Pope John Paul II. According to reports, tens of thousands of police have been drafted in to limit the impact of protests timed to coincide with Mr Bush’s visit. From there he will travel on to Paris for talks with President Jacques Chirac and then onto Normandy where he will mark the 60th anniversary of D-Day landings. The event, which for many marked the high point of the US-European relations, has brought the current state of the transatlantic partnership into sharp relief. One year on since the US-led invasion and divisions over Iraq still remain and tensions are still high.