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Putin content to wait for US partnership

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, is greeted by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchu upon his arrival at the opening ceremony of the 119th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the National Theater in Guatemala City on Tuesday. IOC members were to vote yesterday to choose the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics. PHOTO: AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday he was not expecting an immediate reaction on the missile defense proposals he made to US President George W. Bush.

But he said that if the US co-operates, "the world will be safer" and the US-Russia partnership would be enhanced.

Speaking at a news conference in Guatemala, where he was promoting Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics, Putin defended the results of this week's talks with Bush in Kennebunkport, Maine.

He said commitments to missile reductions announced on Tuesday by Russian and US officials in Washington were "important from the point of view of the creation of a safer and transparent world."

Putin also expressed hope the US would eventually accept the modified missile defense ideas he proposed as an alternative to Bush's call for a system based in Poland and the Czech Republic.

"We don't demand immediate answers to all our offers," Putin said. "Our goal is to formulate the offer and talk to our partner about it ... We will be waiting for the final response," he said.

Putin last month proposed using a Soviet-era early warning radar in Azerbaijan as a substitute for the radar and interceptors the US wants to place in central Europe.

In talks with Bush on Monday, he suggested modernizing the Azerbaijan station and letting more European nations help decide how the shield is structured.

He also suggested information exchange centers in Moscow and possibly Brussels as a way to strengthen the national security relationship between the nations.

Bush called the idea "innovative" but US officials expressed reluctance to embrace the ideal on the whole.

Putin said on Tuesday that under his plan, "the world will be safer and this will contribute to the further development of Russian-US relations."

Indicating a possible connection, he immediately added that the two "will be moving toward a strategic partnership over Iran," an issue important to the Bush administration, which is concerned Iran may be trying to develop nuclear weapons.

Speaking about the Olympics, Putin said he was promoting Sochi, where he often skis, as a "unique site."

"It has a very gentle climate and a great deal of snow" in the spring, he said.

Putin is leading Russia's pre-sentation to the International Olympic Committee, which was set to choose the site of the 2014 Games yesterday.

Also competing are Salzburg, Austria, and Pyongchang, South Korea.

Putin spoke after meeting with Guatemalan President Oscar Berger. He said at least one large but unnamed Russian company was interested in investing in power generation in Guatemala but added there were no formal proposals.
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