Ministers and London police chiefs are this weekend putting the final plans in place for President Bush's state visit.

The visit appears set to be overshadowed by protests against the US administration's Iraq policy and issues such as the Kyoto protocol.

"Stop the War" protesters met with senior Metropolitan Police officers on Friday in a bid to agree routes for this week's marches against the president.

They will meet again on Monday and have vowed to oppose any attempt to shield the president from their placards and chants.

It is thought that the issue will come to a head on Thursday when tens of thousands of protesters are expected to join a "Stop Bush" demonstration close to parliament.

Ahead of his visit Bush gave a round of media interviews in which he played down the predicted protests.

The president said he believed in free speech and dismissed security concerns about his visit.

Bush said it was "exactly the right time" to cement relations between Britain and the US.

The White House also confirmed that the president will meet with the families of British service personnel killed in Iraq.

Bush said he wanted to meet with the families of those killed to extend the thoughts of the American people and "the prayers of the president".

During the face-to-face meetings this week Bush will tell the families that "their loved ones did not die in vain".

"I view this as an historic moment and I will share with them - just like I share with our own families here - a deep grief, my sorrow for the sacrifice, but the fact that what is taking place today is a noble cause," he said.

But on Friday there was no let up in the war of words against the first state visit by a US president for over 80 years.

Former foreign secretary Robin Cook used an article in the Independent newspaper to condemn the prime minister as dishonest, shallow and cheap in justifying the first state visit of a US president for over 80 years.

"I am bewildered that the committee that concluded Clinton did not merit a state visit has decided Bush has a stronger claim," said the former foreign secretary.

Meanwhile an ICM poll for the Daily Mirror finds that almost half of British people believe Bush is threatening world peace.

The survey also found that 75 per cent of Britons are angry about the £4 million cost of security for his trip.

The visit was further undermined when the father of the youngest British soldier killed in Iraq said next week's meeting meant nothing to the parents of those killed in Iraq.

Robert Kelly, whose 18-year-old son Andrew was killed in Basra, said: "Tony Blair doesn't care. He doesn't care about anyone. So what does George Bush care about our families and my family? He doesn't care.''

Bush, who appears set to accelerate the handover in Iraq, dismissed suggestions that he was looking for an exit strategy following the latest US deaths.

"We are not pulling out until the job is done. Period," the president said.

Whilst he said it was "inconceivable" that the US would exit Iraq, Bush said the Iraqi people were "plenty capable" of running their own affairs.

The comments came after the foreign secretary met with US secretary of state Colin Powell to consider the coalition's next move.

The president signalled that an early handover appears increasingly likely.

"We want the Iraqis to understand that we believe they're plenty capable of running their own country," he said.

"Therefore, the sooner the people... realise that, I think the more comfortable they'll be with their future.

"And the sooner that sovereignty is handed over in a way commensurate with a stable country, the better off it."

Interviewed by the British media Bush also had warm words for the prime minister - who he described as "smart, capable, trustworthy".

"I'm really looking forward to spending time with my friend - and I emphasise my friend - Tony Blair," said Bush.

The Republican president praised the Labour leader for standing firm in the face of opposition to the Iraq war.

"Freedom and peace. Tony Blair is making decisions for the right reasons, he is the least political person I've dealt with," he said.

"Never once has he said to me, ever, 'Gosh, I'm feeling terrible pressure'. I have never heard him complain about the polls, or wring his hands.

"The relationship is a very good relationship because I admire him, and I admire somebody who stands tough."