THERE is no reason to deny President Bush all the trappings of a state visit to our country.

He should be welcomed with the warmth and dignity befitting the head of the United States.

But his privileged status does not make him immune from criticism, if it is fairly and legitimately expressed.

It is a pity, therefore, that for security reasons, President Bush will be kept well away from protestors over the next three days.

In such circumstances, the onus falls on our Prime Minister to make him aware of the scale of opposition to some of his policies.

The future of Iraq will obviously be high on their agenda, particularly after plans emerged from Washington over the weekend of the withdrawal of US forces next summer.

Mr Blair must impress on the President the importance of completing the task they set themselves when they ordered military action against Iraq. Stability and self-government must be secured before Iraq is left to its own devices.

Those goals must hold sway over the damage done by US fatalities to the President's re-election campaign.

The Prime Minister must also tackle the President over the issue of Guantanamo Bay, and win from him a promise that prisoners will not be held indefinitely without fair trial.

Having gone into battle in Afghanistan and Iraq in pursuit of freedom, it is not right that justice - the cornerstone of any free society - is denied the inhabitants of Camp X-ray.

And Mr Blair must also persuade the President of the inequity of US tariffs, where the world's biggest economy uses its muscle to protect its own interests to stifle true competition.

We trust Mr Blair is able to get these messages across to President Bush in the spirit of friendship that exists between them.

As a true friend, Mr Blair does not have to be a benign partner. In the special relationship that exists between the two men and their two nations, he has a duty to tell the President what he may not want to hear. And the President has a duty to listen and act.