Washington, D.C. ? President Bush, starting a new relationship late in his presidency, welcomed British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday with casual diplomacy.

In the tranquility of the Catoctin Mountains, Bush and Brown began their brief meeting – Sunday night and today – at Camp David, with an emphasis on private time between the two. Their substantive agenda is familiar: terror threats, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, crisis in Darfur, stalled trade.

Yet the overarching theme is rapport – and establishing some.

Bush is aiming for at least a solid relationship with Brown, shaped around their nations’ mutual interests. That much is expected, but it is far from the kinship Bush had with Brown’s predecessor, Tony Blair, who lost favor at home because of his close ties to Bush.

En route to the United States, the new British leader said the world is indebted to the United States for taking the lead in the fight against terrorism. Brown said he would use his visit to strengthen what Britain considers its “most important bilateral relationship.”