Bush promises G20 leaders of 'seamless' transition to Obama

President George W. Bush said Saturday he vowed to leaders of the world's biggest economies that the United States would enjoy a "seamless" transition to the new team of president-elect Barack Obama.

"I told the leaders this: that president-elect Obama's transition team has been fully briefed on what we intended to do here at this meeting," Bush told reporters after an economic crisis summit of the Group of 20 nations.

"I told them that we will work tirelessly to make sure the transition between my administration and his administration is seamless," he said.

"I told them that I hope he succeeds."

Obama, who takes office on January 20, stayed away from the summit and the Democrat is not bound to implement commitments made Saturday by Bush.

On Obama's behalf, former secretary of state Madeleine Albright and ex-Republican lawmaker Jim Leach held a flurry of contacts with the G20 delegations including with Britain, China, France, Italy and Japan Saturday.

In the Democratic Party's weekly radio address, Obama said the US economy was already in "recession" and welcomed Bush's convening the summit "because our global economic crisis requires a coordinated global response."

"And yet, as we act in concert with other nations, we must also act immediately here at home to address America's own economic crisis," he said, calling for new stimulus spending following a package adopted by China.

The Republican Bush said of his fellow G20 leaders from the major industrialized powers, along with big developing nations such as China and Russia, that "it was good for them to hear" about a smooth transition process.

"Even though we are from different political parties, that I believe it's in our country's interest that he succeeds," the outgoing president said of Obama.