WASHINGTON -- President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday vehemently denied the implication of the so-called "Downing Street memo" that they had decided in 2002 to go to war against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein --well before the issue was raised in the United Nations or Congress.

It was the first time that both men had addressed the memo. They were asked about it as they stood side by side at a late-afternoon news conference in the White House East Room.

The memo contains minutes of a July 23, 2002, Cabinet meeting at Blair's offices at No. 10 Downing St., written by a British foreign policy aide, and was published May 1 by the Sunday Times of London. The memo has caused a sensation among opponents of the war in Iraq, who argue that it buttresses their contention that the Bush administration deliberately manipulated intelligence to justify the allied assault on the grounds that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction -- a contention that has proven unfounded.

Asked if intelligence had been manipulated, Blair insisted that the facts for going to war "were not being fixed, in any shape or form at all." He continued: "Now, no one knows more intimately the discussions that we were conducting as two countries at the time than me. And the fact is, we decided to go to the United Nations and went through that process, which resulted in the November 2002 United Nations resolution to give Saddam Hussein a final chance to comply with international law.

"He didn't do so. And that was the reason why we had to take military action."

Bush said he was struck by the timing of the memo's publication, since it was "dropped" into the public fray as Blair was amid a hard-fought re-election battle, which he subsequently won. Its publication did reignite dissension within the British public about the country's role in the war.

Bush spoke directly to the allegation that he and Blair had decided right from the start to use military force against Saddam. "There's nothing farther from the truth," he said. "My conversations with the prime minister was: "How can we do this peacefully? What could we do?' ...

"Look, both of us didn't want to use our military. Nobody wants to commit military into combat. It's a last option. The consequences of committing the military are ... very difficult. ...

"And so we worked hard to see if we could figure ... how to do this peacefully, to put a united front up to Saddam Hussein that said the world speaks. And he ignored the world."

Public opinion in both countries has swung against the war. In a CBS News Poll taken late in May, 57 percent of 1,150 adults polled nationwide said they disapprove of the way Bush is handling the situation in Iraq. In the United Kingdom, the public opposes the war 2 to 1.

Blair insisted that it was vital for the Middle East peace process and "the future of the world" that "we succeed in Iraq." He said the goal is democracy, and "our troops work together very, very closely there. ..."

The meeting yesterday was the first since Blair won re-election and comes just before he takes over the reins as head of the European Union. Next month, he'll also host the Group of Eight economic summit at the Gleneagles golf resort in Scotland. He hopes to use that meeting to appeal to the world's wealthiest nations to double their aid to Africa, a concern for which he has long campaigned.

Part of Blair's mission in the United States this week was to make that appeal directly to Bush, saying the problems of poverty, HIV/AIDS, hunger and water purification in Africa have become dire.

Bush yesterday said the United States would provide $674 million in additional money for African famine relief from emergency funds already authorized for humanitarian aid. But he would not go along with doubling current U.S. aid, as Blair seeks. He said the United States has already tripled its Africa aid during his four years in office, to $3.2 billion in 2004.

Blair said he was hopeful that there could be accord before the G-8 meeting for 100 percent cancellation of debts owed by Africa's developing nations. Some debt has already been forgiven, but most economists think prior actions have been insufficient.

Bush did voice support for Blair's desire that organizations such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank not be required to absorb losses from debt forgiveness and thus reduce the money available for assisting all needy countries.

"Our countries are developing a proposal for the G-8 that will eliminate 100 percent of that [African developing nations'] debt and that, by providing additional resources, will preserve the financial integrity of the World Bank and the African Development Bank," Bush said. But there was no public explanation of how differences over financing debt forgiveness would be resolved.

The two leaders also sought to minimize disagreement over global warming. The British government has signed the Kyoto Protocols for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but the Bush administration has refused.

"On climate change, I think everyone knows there are different perspectives on this issue," Blair said. "But I also think that it's increasingly obvious -- whatever perspective people have and ... from whatever angle they come at this issue -- there is a common commitment and desire to tackle the challenges of climate change, of energy security and energy supply."

Asked if he believed that climate change has been the result of human actions, Bush said he still wanted to know more about it, but that the United States leads the world in terms of dollars spent on researching the issue. "See, there's a lot of things we're doing in America," he said, "and I believe that not only can we solve our greenhouse gas, I believe we will."

Eager to project a united front, the two leaders said the alliance between their countries has never been stronger. First lady Laura Bush attended the East Room news conference, a rare appearance for her at such an event.