WASHINGTON, March 23: US President George Bush spoke with British Prime Minister Tony Blair over the weekend and the two leaders reviewed the invasion of Iraq, the White House said in a statement on Sunday.

President Bush monitored the war from the Camp David presidential retreat on Saturday, where he also chaired a meeting of his war council.

“The president spoke to Prime Minister Blair about the progress of the war and humanitarian assistance for the Iraqi people. The call lasted 30 minutes,” the White House said.

The presidential retreat was converted into a war room for the council’s meeting after President Bush arrived there on Friday evening along with his senior aides.

Those who travelled to Camp David with the president included Vice President Dick Cheney, White House chief of staff Andrew Card, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, his deputy Paul Wolfowitz, Gen Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and CIA director George Tenet.