Aides to President-elect Barack Obama distanced themselves on Tuesday from reports that President George W. Bush had pressed Obama to back a free trade deal with Colombia in exchange for help for the struggling automobile industry.

Obama advisers also played down suggestions the incident had led to tensions with Bush and his staff as the two sides seek to ensure a smooth presidential transition.

"I would characterize our relationship as collegial," said John Podesta, co-chair of Obama's White House transition. "Whatever happened this morning was the result of reports which I think were not accurate."

With the country facing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a worsening economic picture, Obama and Bush have sought to emphasize that they are working together toward a smooth transfer of power when the Democratic president-elect takes over from Bush's Republican administration on Jan. 20.

The two met privately at the White House on Monday, almost a week after Obama's resounding electoral victory over Republican John McCain, while Bush's wife, Laura, led Obama's wife, Michelle, on a tour of the executive mansion.

The meeting featured smiles and warm handshakes and neither side initially said much about what the two men discussed.

But reports in The New York Times and Washington Post quoted unidentified aides to Obama as saying that Bush indicated he might support help for the automakers and a broader economic stimulus package if Democrats in Congress approved a stalled trade deal with Colombia.

NO QUID PRO QUO

The White House was quick to try to correct what it said were inaccurate reports.

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