Bush, Putin laud agreements; differences abound

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia -- President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Thursday on new efforts to keep nuclear arms out of dangerous hands, but their sharp differences over Russian backsliding on democracy spilled into an open and sometimes-prickly exchange.

Seeking common ground with a former Cold War rival that is now a key anti-terror partner, Bush said the two leaders stressed agreements over differences.

But U.S. concerns about a series of actions by Putin that are seen as solidifying central power and quashing dissent dominated the leaders' side-by-side appearance.

Bush said he talked with Putin at length of his "concerns about Russia's commitment in fulfilling these universal principles" common to all democracies -- such as the rule of law, protection of minorities and viable political debate.

"All I can tell you is he said, 'Yes meant yes,' when we talked about values that we share," Bush said.

Putin said, "Russia has made its choice in favor of democracy."

"This is our final choice and we have no way back. There can be no return to what we used to have," Putin said. He added: "We are not going to make up, to invent any kind of special Russian democracy."

Despite those assurances, Putin compared his move to end direct popular election of regional governors to the American Electoral College process of electing presidents. "It's not considered undemocratic, is it?" Putin said.

And he suggested that Russians who oppose his actions, such as a campaign against the Yukos oil company and the shutdown of independent media outlets, can sway public opinion because they "are richer than those who are in favor." "We often do not pay the attention to that," he said.

Bush was challenged as well, fielding questions from Russian journalists doubting American democracy.

"I'm perfectly comfortable in telling you, our country is one that safeguards human rights and human dignity, and we resolve our disputes in a peaceful way," Bush said sharply.

Russian officials dislike what they see as U.S. meddling in their internal affairs and in former Soviet republics where Moscow's influence is waning as some new leaders look westward.

But just as Bush wants to protect a vital partnership on security issues, Putin walks a careful line because of his desire not to harm Russia's chances of membership in the World Trade Organization.

Turning to global concerns, Bush and Putin said they were in unison on the importance of stopping suspected nuclear weapons programs in North Korea and Iran. They remained in disagreement over Russian arms sales to Syria, which the United States wants halted, said a senior administration official.

"We agreed that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. I appreciate Vladimir's understanding on that," Bush said. "We agreed that North Korea should not have a nuclear weapon."

Said Putin, "We share a common opinion in this regard and we are taking a similar approach: We should put an end to the proliferation of missile and missile technology. The proliferation of such weapons is not in the interest specific of countries or in the international community in general."

The leaders met for nearly three hours -- more than an hour alone with only translators -- at a medieval castle overlooking the snow-covered capital and the Danube River. "The discussions never got heated," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A key product of the talks were agreements designed to counter the spread of both conventional and nuclear weapons.

Bush and Putin agreed to upgrade security at Russia's nuclear plants and weapons stockpiles; provide new procedures for responding to possible terrorist attacks; and set up a program to keep nuclear fuel from being diverted to use in nuclear weapons.

"We agreed to accelerate our work to protect nuclear weapons and materials both in our two nations and around the world," Bush said.

Another agreement, signed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, calls for controlling shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles that, in the hands of criminals or terrorists, pose a threat to both passenger and military aviation.

The Soviet Union and now Russia have widely sold shoulder-fired missiles to customers around the world, including a more potent version that can't be diverted by decoys. Approximately 1 million of these weapons have been produced worldwide, a White House statement said.

Bush prefaced his meeting with the Russian leader -- their first since Bush's new term began in January -- with a speech in a crowded town square hailing the spread of democracy to a former Soviet satellite like Slovakia. Bush thanked Slovaks for their deployment of non-combat troops to Iraq and celebrated the example their 1989 triumph over communism provides there.

"For the Iraqi people, this is their 1989 and they will always remember who stood with them in their quest for freedom," the president said.

The two leaders arrived to a red carpet ceremony in the courtyard of the red-roofed Bratislava Castle, exchanging handshakes and smiles. About a dozen troops, clad in fur-trimmed red and blue uniforms, stood at attention and elsewhere in the capital security was tight.

During their news conference, Bush appeared relaxed and smiled frequently, but Putin mostly remained expressionless with an occasional slight nod or grin.

Bush's brief Slovakia visit was the final leg of a five-day tour to heal the trans-Atlantic rift caused by his March 2003 decision to invade Iraq without broad international support. He visited Belgium and Germany before coming here, and met with European leaders at NATO and European Union meetings in Brussels.