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cyberdude611 -> Bush, Putin agree on missile defense (6/7/2007 12:07:42 PM)
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A diplomatic victory for both nations as tensions cool.
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Bush, Putin agree to cooperate on missile shield plan
POSTED: 2:35 p.m. EDT, June 7, 2007
HEILIGENDAMM, Germany (CNN) -- U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Thursday at the G8 summit in Germany to cooperate on missile-defense systems, apparently cooling tensions between the two leaders.
"We have an understanding about common threats, but we have differences. The difference is the ways and means in which we can overcome these threats," Putin told reporters after a one-on-one meeting with Bush.
While the United States wants to install missile-defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic -- a plan that has severely irritated the Russians -- Putin said he suggested using an existing radar station that Russia rents in neighboring Azerbaijan.
That way, all of Europe would be protected, he said at a joint news conference.
"The existing agreement makes it possible for us to do this. And the president of Azerbaijan stressed he would be glad to contribute to world security and stability," Putin said.
He said he met with the Azerbaijan president on Wednesday. There would have to be new construction, and that could start right away, Putin added.
Azerbaijan, formerly part of the Soviet Union, is north of Iran, and is bordered on the east by the Caspian Sea.
According to Putin, use of the radar station would make it unnecessary for Russia to install "offensive complexes" at European borders and unnecessary for the United States to put such complexes in outer space.
Bush said the missile-defense plan was meant to block possible attacks from Iran and other nations, but Putin said the systems would be on Russia's doorstep and could be converted into offensive weapons.
"It's much better to work together than to create tensions," Bush said after the meeting. "He expressed his concerns to me. He is concerned that the missile defense system is not an act that a friend would do."
Bush said the men agreed to share ideas, and involve officials from the U.S. State Department, Department of Defense and military.
"This is a serious issue and we want to make sure we understand each other's positions very clearly," Bush said.
He said he has invited Putin to the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, in July, where they will continue discussions on a variety of issues.
Last weekend, Putin warned that his country could aim nuclear weapons at European targets unless Washington abandoned the missile-system proposal.
"They're [Russians] not a military threat," Bush told reporters Thursday. "They're not what we should be hyperventilating about. What we ought to be doing is figuring out ways to work together."
Representatives from Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom are at the summit in Heiligendamm. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is hosting the meeting because her country has the rotating presidency this year.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/07/bush.putin/index.html
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