The two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral and international security issues along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, Mexican officials said Wednesday.

The last time the two men met was Sept. 5 for a state visit that included a whirlwind trip to Toledo, Ohio. Just days after Mr. Fox left, terrorists struck in Washington and New York, a city also on the agenda for Mr. Fox's 24-hour visit.

"President Fox wants to express his solidarity to the American people and to the government of the United States," said spokesman Miguel Monterrubio of the Mexican Embassy in Washington. "He wants to personally express his personal condolence to President Bush for the terrible terrorist attacks of Sept. 11."

By most accounts, the initial public reaction from leading intellectuals to average citizens was ambivalence.

"We shouldn't get involved in the battles of other countries," explained Heynar Perez Villanueva, a doctor having his shoes shined near the U.S. Embassy. "This is a fight between the U.S. and a terrorist."

An opinion poll published in the Mexico City daily newspaper Reforma reflected Mr. Perez's doubts. Sixty-two percent of those polled said the country should remain neutral in the U.S. war on terrorism, 16 percent opposed it and 17 percent expressed support.

"Not only were Americans stunned by Mexico's nationalistic views, but I think Mexicans themselves were quite surprised," said Armand Peschard-Sverdrup, director of the Mexico Project at the Center for Strategic International Studies.

The terrorist attack underscored the limits to friendship between both countries and offered a glimpse into internal battles within the Fox administration, analysts say. A political firestorm ensued between Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda, who called for unconditional U.S. support, and Interior Minister Santiago Creel, who said Mexico was not a "subordinate of the United States."

"The problem is there are a lot of future presidents in that Cabinet, and they all want to carve out their own identity," said former U.S. Ambassador James Jones.

Lately, the Fox government has pressed ahead, paying for full-page ads in Mexico's influential newspapers reiterating Mexico's solidarity with the United States and making daily statements to the press. Last week, in an appearance on the CNN show Larry King Live, Mr. Fox said that Mexico "would go all the way" in its support.

Mexican officials won't be alone in hoping that the controversy is behind them, explained one source close to the White House.

"The White House is very aware of the damage that the Mexicans have done to themselves," the source said. "And the White House is as interested as the Mexicans are in making sure this is water under the bridge. They have no other choice."

In Mexico City, KHOU Bureau Chief Angela Kocherga contributed to this report.