PARIS -- U.S. President George W. Bush arrived in Paris on Sunday for a two-day trip to France, beginning with talks with newly reelected President Jacques Chirac, Reuters reported.

After a short ceremony at Paris Orly Airport, Bush was whisked away to the Presidential Elysee Palace in a heavily-guarded motorcade for his meeting with Chirac.

The two heads of state were expected to discuss the U.S.-led war on terrorism, the Middle East, trade relations between Europe and the United States, and the tension between India and Pakistan.

Just before leaving St. Petersburg for Paris, Bush again called on India and Pakistan to "show restraint" in their military standoff, expressing "strong reservations" about new Pakistani missile tests. He also urged India not to view the tests as a provocation.

France is Bush's penultimate stop on his European trip, during which he has charmed German lawmakers, signed a landmark nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia and bonded with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But the French are Bush's most vocal critics among his Western allies and relations were strained recently when he annoyed France and other key U.S. trading partners in Europe by imposing hefty tariffs on U.S. steel imports.

In Paris and in Caen in northwestern France, protesters, many of whom perceive Bush to have a unilateralist bent, gathered to demonstrate against U.S. policies.

"U.S. Imperialism: That's Enough!" Ran one banner in Caen.

At least 30 organizations have joined forces for the protests on issues ranging from a possible U.S. attack on Iraq to Washington's Middle East policy, trade and the environment.

Some 3,500 police were deployed around Paris to provide security for Bush and to supervise the demonstration.

Seeking to soothe relations with France, Bush is expected to play up the United States' traditional support for European freedom during his visit.

On Monday he will travel to Normandy and deliver a memorial day speech at the American cemetery to honor the U.S. soldiers who died in the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany.

Last week, in a speech to the German Parliament, Bush reassured Europeans that the United States remained a friend and ally despite their differences.

He warned allies they were as vulnerable as the United States to attacks like those on September 11. He called for NATO to be transformed into a potent force to fight terrorism, saying that shirking the duty invited "certain blackmail".

Bush is expected to pursue the issue aggressively with Chirac, as he did with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder last week and will do on Monday in a meeting with Italian President Silvio Berlusconi in Rome.