Brown puts stamp on US relations as he signals British pull-out from Iraq

In their first formal talks, Mr Brown and Mr Bush renewed pledges to fight terrorism and seek progress in Iraq.

But Mr Brown made clear that the UK would relinquish control of its fourth and final province in the south of the country, but did not give a specific date.

While Mr Brown told assembled journalists at Camp David that he would not "cut and run", he diplomatically put on the record his intentions to ease Britain's military role in the country.

And he said any recommendation on the future role of the UK's 5,500 troops in Iraq could be put to parliament after British MPs return to work in October after a summer break.

Mr Brown and Mr Bush stood a few feet apart, not quite shoulder to shoulder, fielding questions about the meeting from several correspondents, who were clearly keen to see the leaders disagree over foreign policy.

But while both men carefully sidestepped the open trap, Mr Brown did not return any of the personal compliments paid to him by Mr Bush.

On Iraq, Mr Brown insisted that there were "duties to discharge and responsibilities to keep".

But the Prime Minister made it clear that the aim was to give control to the Iraqi forces and authorities when circumstances allow.

Mr Brown said: "Our aim, as is the aim of the US government, is threefold: security for the Iraqi people, political reconciliation and that the Iraqis have a stake in the future ."

He proposed financing for an economic development agency for Basra to help provide jobs and stability. And he also described Afghanistan as the "front-line against terrorism".

For his part, Mr Bush made clear he believed Mr Brown "understands that failure in Iraq would be a disaster for the security of our own countries".

"There is no doubt in my mind that he will keep me abreast of his military commanders' recommendations based upon conditions on the ground," he said, in a pointed reference to Mr Brown's pledge to inform parliament first of any withdrawal plans.

Mr Bush added: "The consequences of failure would be disaster for Great Britain and the US, something this Prime Minister understands.

"I find him to be resolved and firm and understanding about the stakes in this series of national struggles in this war against extremists and radicals.

"The challenge for Gordon and me is to write a chapter - the first chapter - in this struggle that will lead to success, and that's exactly what we are determined to do."

As the press conference began, unusually 25 minutes late, Mr Bush said that a lot of people had been wondering how he and the new Prime Minister would get on personally and whether they would be able to find "common ground".

"He probably wasn't sure what to expect from me and I kind of had a sense of the kind of person I would be dealing with," Mr Bush.

The President said he found Mr Brown to be a warm, humorous man, far removed from his "dour Scotsman" image.

And he paid tribute to Mr Brown's personal strength in overcoming the death of his first child in 2002.

Mr Bush also described Mr Brown as a "principled man", who shared the vision and "who understands the call".

The President deployed his typically dramatic language to characterise those who fought against the coalition as "cold-blooded killers" who could not be negotiated with.

Mr Brown had also agreed that "we are at one in fighting the battle against terrorism".

Any latent frustration Mr Bush may have had at being stripped of his warmer relations with Tony Blair, the former prime minister, was taken out on the press, except for one swipe at Mr Brown's age.

When the Prime Minister revealed that six of his Cabinet were under 40, Mr Bush said: "You must be feeling damn old then, eh?"

"Absolutely," replied Mr Brown, 56, through ever so slightly gritted teeth.

More aloof, Mr Brown provided far fewer insights into how he viewed President Bush personally.

Instead, he was intent on echoing Winston Churchill, emphasising the countries' "shared values" and setting out the direction of policies on issues such as Darfur, world trade and Iraq.

Even when he was invited to point out Mr Bush's gravest mistakes in Iraq, Mr Brown rigidly stuck to Britain's limited domain, Basra, avoiding any criticism of his ally.

He had described his discussions with Mr Bush as "full and frank" although it seemed it was not intended as the usual diplomatic term for an argument.

Rather, the Prime Minister was attempting to reassure Mr Bush that Britain remained America's number one ally, while telling his audience at home that he would be nobody's poodle.