BUSAN, South Korea, Nov. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- US President George. W. Bush conferred with his Russian counterpart Vladmir Putin on Friday, seeking his support on the nuclear programs in Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

    Bush greeted Putin warmly as he entered the meeting room but the warm and casual tone did not hide the strains in the US-Russian relations, a Russian reporter covering the meeting said.

    "We've got very important relationship. We value your advice and we value the strategic relationship we've built," said Bush as the two men sat down on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit here.

    The United States and Russia are at odds over how to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue, with the former insisting that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons and the latter believing Iran's nuclear program was for peaceful purpose.

    "It's very agreeable that we have virtually permanent contacts on both bilateral relations and the international agenda," Putin said.

    Details of their talks were not available, but it was believed that Bush was seeking Putin's support to ensure that Iran does not have nuclear arms and help defuse differences on six-party talks aimed at persuading the DPRK to abandon nuclear weapons.

    Bush and Putin probably discussed issues including terrorism, global energy markets, as well as the democratic reform in Russia, said the Russian reporter who refused to be named. Endite