Obama, presidents to meet

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama will meet together privately Wednesday, the White House said.

After their Oval Office meeting, Bush and Obama will be joined by former presidents Jimmy Carter, George Herbert Walker Bush and Bill Clinton for lunch, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

She told reporters that Bush and Obama have been in contact amid the global financial crisis and escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Perino said she could not share details of what Bush and his successor will discuss in their Oval Office meeting.

"All of us would love to be flies on the wall and listening to that conversation," Perino said. "But these are leaders who only understand what it's like to be in each other's shoes. And none of us can put ourselves in their shoes."