July 02, 2007
Real Differences Belie Bush & Putin's Cooperative Tone
UPDATED.
A month after it appeared that their relationship had deteriorated beyond the point of repair, U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin were all smiles during a summit meant to restore their former bond.
Seeking to assure their respective constituents that they were determined to hammer out their differences, the two leaders gave an upbeat assessment of their negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.
"We spent a lot of time talking about the Iranian issue," Bush said in a joint press conference outside his family's compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. "I am concerned about the Iranians' attempt to develop the technologies and know-how to develop nuclear weapons. The president shares that."
"So far we have managed to work within the framework of the Security Council, and I think we will be successful on this track," Putin said. "I think all of this will contribute to further substantial intercourse on this issue."
The Bush clan -- including the president, first lady Laura Bush and the elder President George H.W. Bush -- are pulling out all the homegrown stops for what the local media are calling the Lobster Summit and the Beltway media are referring to as a kiss-and-make-up session. Putin is being treated to Maine's famous lobster at nearly every meal, and was taken for a water tour on the elder Bush's speedboat yesterday as well as a fishing trip this morning. Reuters reported that the former KGB officer landed the only catch of the day.
"We let it free," Putin said to chuckles in the press corps.
The hastily planned meeting was set up in late May, after Putin threatened to aim Russia's weapons at Europe in retaliation for a U.S. missile defense shield planned for Poland and the Czech Republic. U.S.-Russian relations appeared to be nearing a breaking point, and Bush invited Putin to the compound to work things out, the first time he has asked a world leader to join him there.
At the G-8 summit last month, Putin delivered a surprise offer to jointly host a defense system with the U.S. in Azerbaijan. At the time, Bush described the proposal as "interesting."
"It's more than an interesting idea," Bush said today, when asked to elaborate during the briefing. "It's an idea we're following up on through consultative meetings which we've started."
Though Washington and the Polish and Czech governments are still on board with the original plan, Putin made further proposals today to sweeten the compromise. Suggesting that a new "information exchange center" somewhere else in Europe would negate the "need to place any more facilities there," Putin said his military was willing to "modernize" the radar Russia operates in Azerbaijan. The radar would be shared with the U.S., displacing the need for one to be built in the Czech Republic.
"And if that is not enough, we would be prepared to engage in this system also a newly built radar, early warning system in the south of Russia," Putin offered.
Bush did not go beyond commenting respectfully on the proposal, but indicated that there would be more negotiating ahead. "He just laid out a vision. I think it's very sincere. I think it's innovative," Bush said. "But as I told Vladimir, I think that the Czech Republic and Poland need to be an integral part of the system."
A more intractable issue, however, wasn't publicly addressed today. Russia has threatened to use its veto power against an otherwise popular U.N. effort to establish Kosovo's independence. Russia has also hinted it will use its growing stranglehold on gas pipelines there to choke off the runaway province. The peace and calm in the former Yugoslavia is still relatively new, and officials in neighboring states fear violence will erupt should Kosovo seek to establish independence on its own.
Several Balkan nations say the deadlock over Kosovo is holding up their own efforts to join NATO. Should Kosovo be denied supervised independence because of Russia and Serbia's intransigence, protests could be seen across the region.
Local CBS affiliate WGME continues to follow summit updates -- and surrounding protests -- closely, and has interviews with Putin's spokesman and the elder President Bush.
(Photo credit: White House photo by Eric Draper)
Posted at 5:19 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, President Bush, Russia, Vladimir Putin
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