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Bush, Putin smile, agree to disagree

US President George Bush, right and Russian President Vladimir Putin, walk to a joint press conference at Bocharov Ruchei, Putin’s vacation residence in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia, yesterday. The two men met in their final leader-to-leader meeting yesterday. PHOTO: AP

US President George W. Bush and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin failed to resolve differences over missile defence at a farewell summit yesterday but pledged to leave a positive legacy for their successors.

The two leaders, nearing the end of their presidencies, signed a declaration which expressed their readiness to search for a compromise on the missile shield, an issue that has helped drive diplomatic ties to a post-Cold War low.

Washington had hoped to make progress towards a deal at the two-day summit at Putin’s vacation retreat in the Black Sea resort of Sochi but the vaguely worded declaration fell short of setting down even a framework for any agreement.

Bush, however, said there had been a “breakthrough” after persuading Putin to soften opposition to a planned US missile defense shield.

“I happen to believe this is a significant breakthrough,” Bush said a joint news briefing with Putin.

The joint statement reiterated that Russia “does not agree” with the deployment of the anti-missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.

However, proposals made by the US for strengthening trust would be “important and useful” if implemented, the statement said.

It also said that Moscow has an “interest in creating a system for responding” to potential missile threats.

Putin’s acknowledged that Washington has taken steps to defuse the bitter row marked an important thaw in the long-running dispute.But he stressed that Moscow had not changed its stance.

“I want to be understood correctly. Strategically, no change happened in our ... attitude to US plans,” he said.

“At the same time there are some positive developments. Our concerns were finally heard by the US side. I am cautiously optimistic that we will reach an agreement,” he said.

Washington says it wants to station interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic to protect against missile strikes from what it calls “rogue states,” specifically Iran. Russia says the plan threatens its security.

Putin and Bush paid each other tributes at what will be their last meeting as heads of state.

“A lot of the time in politics you have people look you in the eye and tell you what’s not on their mind. He [Putin] looks you in the eye and tells you what’s on his mind,” Bush said.

Earlier, Bush held talks with Putin’s protege Dmitry Medvedev who will take over as Russian president on May 7.

“He seemed like a straight-forward fellow,” Bush said. “My first impressions are very positive, a smart fellow.”

Bush said he looked forward to getting to know Medvedev “so we’ll be able to work through common problems.”

Medvedev said he wanted “to act so that our relations develop further without interruption.”

The only pact signed in Sochi was a declaration on the “strategic framework” of US-Russian relations, aimed at encapsulating the legacy Bush and Putin will bequeath to their successors.

The document noted areas where the US and Russia are already cooperating — including trade, nuclear non-proliferation and counter-terrorism — and also mapped out ways to narrow differences, including on the shield.

But on this the only firm commitment in the declaration was to “intensify dialogue” and seek to bring Russia and the US into a collective missile defense system. There is no agreement on what form this system could take.

“The Russian side has made clear that it does not agree with the decision to establish sites in Poland and the Czech Republic and reiterated its proposed alternative,” the declaration said.

“Yet, it appreciates the measures that the US has proposed and declared that, if agreed and implemented, such measures will be important and useful in assuaging Russian concerns,” the declaration said.

“We agreed to intensify our dialogue after Sochi on issues concerning ... [missile defense] cooperation,” it said.
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