By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 13, 2008 2:40 PM

President Bush and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi expressed confidence today that aggressive moves by Europe and the United States will restore confidence in international financial markets.

Appearing together in the White House Rose Garden after a meeting in the Oval Office, the two leaders and close personal friends praised moves by European governments to pump billions of dollars into their economies, backed by unlimited support from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

"These are tough times for our economies, but we can be confident that we can work through these challenges," Bush said.

Berlusconi said he briefed Bush on the European plan, which was reached Sunday in Paris, and said the move would help protect the "real economy" from the meltdown that has devastated global financial markets.

Berlusconi also said he welcomed Bush's proposal for a meeting of the Group of Eight major industrialized economies in coming weeks to discuss the crisis.

The two leaders also said they spoke at length about a range of national security and military issues, including the role played by Italian troops in Afghanistan, the Balkans and Lebanon. Bush called on Syria to respect Lebanon's sovereignty, and similarly for Russia to respect the territorial boundaries of Georgia.

The fast friendship between Bush and Berlusconi was on full display during their brief press appearance, where they showered each other with accolades. Berlusconi talked about his "love and esteem" for Bush and praised his "sincere and pure feelings," according to an English translation of his remarks.

"He is a man of vision, he is an idealist," Berlusconi said. "He also has the courage of implementing what he believes is right."

Berlusconi, a billionaire media tycoon who regained office earlier this year after being pushed out in 2006, has been one of Bush's closest allies abroad and was the first foreign leader to support the war in Iraq. He is scheduled to attend an official dinner in the State Dining Room tonight.