WASHINGTON -- British Prime Minister John Major began two days of talks with U.S. leaders on Monday, playing down reports of a rift between the two old allies over Northern Ireland and other foreign policy issues.


After talks with U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, Major dismissed suggestions the "special relationship" between Washington and London was in decline, and Christopher said a row over Northern Ireland policy was "ancient history."


Major said that although there had been occasional spats, the talks with Christopher had confirmed there were "a wide range of issues where there's very substantial agreement."


He added: "I have never referred to it as a 'special relationship.' There is a relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States of shared interests."


Major, who will meet President Bill Clinton on Tuesday, said his talks with Christopher took in Iraq, the enlargement of NATO and Bosnia, over which U.S. and British policy has also differed.


British officials said Christopher had been supportive of Britain's position in the delicate Northern Ireland peace process -- the cause of last month's Major-Clinton row.


Major was so enraged at Clinton's decision to award an unrestricted visa to Gerry Adams, head of the Irish Republican Army's political wing Sinn Fein, that he took five days to respond to a telephone call from the U.S. president.


Major used a brief news conference after his talks with Christopher at the British embassy to call on Adams to enter into constructive discussions on scrapping the IRA's weapons, a major sticking point in the peace process.


Christopher took pains to show the two countries bore no hard feelings, saying the one hour of talks with Major had shown "a high degree of congruence on our policy." He added: "The issue that arose a few weeks ago is now ancient history and we're pulling together."


Major and Christopher said there were no differences in their approach on Bosnia. "There was a time a year or so ago, maybe 18 months ago, when there was some difference on Bosnia ... that's substantially come together now," Major said.


Christopher said he opposed unilateral lifting of the arms embargo on Bosnia, which has been urged by the new Republican majority in Congress and is strongly resisted by Britain and other states with peacekeeping troops in Bosnia.


Christopher said: "I sense there is a better understanding now in Congress of the dangers of unilaterally lifting the embargo." He said that could involve the United States more deeply in the conflict.


But nagging doubts remained about the once rock-solid relationshipas Major's talks with Clinton approach. While they have good working ties, their initial contact was clouded by the fact that Major's Conservative party had backed Clinton's opponent, then-President George Bush, in the 1992 election.


Conservatives have been intrigued by last November's takeover of Congress by a new wave of right-wing Republicans.