Bush to host French president

President Bush will host French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Washington in November, three months after the two leaders held a casual visit at the Bush family estate in Kennebunkport, Maine.

The specific date of the visit has not been announced.

Also in November, Bush and his wife, Laura, are planning to host German Chancellor Angela Merkel for two days at the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas. That visit will occur Nov. 9-10, with an agenda covering NATO, the war in Afghanistan and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Merkel is one of Bush's closest European colleagues; Sarkozy and Bush are still forming a bond, and the new French leader is seen as Bush's last chance to renew relations with France.

In August, Sarkozy was treated to an all-American lunch, a ride on a speed boat and an introduction to the whole Bush family. Bush's parents own an oceanfront estate in Kennebunkport, and the president used all the trappings to make Sarkozy feel welcome.

Bush and Sarkozy also met on the sidelines of the G-8 summit of major industrialized nations in Germany in June.