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| US President George W. Bush and his Russian
counterpart Vladimir Putin opened a key summit meeting in the Slovak
capital of Bratislava on Thursday (Photo:
Xinhua/AFP) |
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| US President George W. Bush and his Russian
counterpart Vladimir Putin at the press conference in the Slovak
capital of Bratislava on Thursday (Photo:
Xinhua/AFP) |
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| US President George W. Bush is
delivering a speech in Bratislava. (Photo:
Xinhua/AFP) |
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| US President George W. Bush (L), President
of the Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic (C) and Russian President Vladimir
Putin walk past Honor Guard at the Bratislava Castle in the Slovak capital
of Bratislava Feb. 24, 2005. Bush and Putin opened a key summit meeting in
Bratislava on Thursday amid a dispute between the two over Moscow's
understanding of democracy. (Photo:
Xinhua/AFP) |
 |
| US President George W. Bush (L), President
of the Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic (C) and Russian President Vladimir
Putin pose for a photo at the Bratislava Castle in the Slovak capital of
Bratislava Feb. 24, 2005. Bush and Putin opened a key summit meeting in
Bratislava on Thursday amid a dispute between the two over Moscow's
understanding of democracy. (Photo:
Xinhua/AFP) |
BRATISLAVA, Feb. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- US President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin opened a key summit meeting in the Slovak capital of Bratislava on Thursday amid a dispute between the two over Moscow's understanding of democracy.
The summit -- which will also focus on the Middle East peace process,
the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and curbing the spread of nuclear
weapons -- is the first meeting between the two leaders since Bush began his
second term of office last month.
Bush arrived here Wednesday for his first visit to Slovakia, the last
stop of his European tour designed to heal the trans-Atlantic rift caused by his
decision to invade Iraq in March 2003.
On Tuesday Bush told reporters in Brussels that he would remind Putin
that "the United States believes strongly in democratic values."
However, Bush admitted that "it is important for us to keep a
constructive relationship with Russia."
Putin, in Bratislava for a two-day visit, told Slovak media before
his trip that his nation would pursue a model of democracy befitting its history
and traditions.
He said he hoped his summit with Bush would be a friendly discussion
covering global security issues and the fight against terrorism.
Analysts believe the summit will provide an indicator as to how
Washington is likely to deal with Russia in the light of renewed emphasis placed
by Bush on promoting democracy and confronting countries like Iran and Syria.
They also expected the Bush-Putin summit to yield an agreement to
combat nuclear terrorism and better safeguard nuclear arsenals.
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