U.S. President George W. Bush will meet with Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi while in Italy to attend the funeral for Pope John Paul II. Bush left Washington Wednesday aboard Air Force One along with former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, who are part of his delegation for the services at the Vatican. On Thursday, Bush will have low key visits with the two Italian leaders, meeting with Ciampi in the afternoon before dining with Berlusconi in the evening, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. The visits will be low key and not open to press coverage because the focus will be on mourning the loss of the pope, McClellan said. Bush and his wife, Laura, will also host a reception for American cardinals at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Rome before meeting Berlusconi, McCelllan said. ---SP 2307 Local Time 2007 GMT
