Bush, Putin talk missile defense

The Washington Post

SHANGHAI, China — President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday they made progress on a deal to allow the United States to build a missile defense system in return for sharp reductions in nuclear arsenals and said they would negotiate specifics at Bush’s Texas ranch in November.

White House officials acknowledged a compromise might not be complete by then, but suggested Bush is prepared to move unilaterally with his missile defense plans in January if a deal with Putin is not forthcoming.

Should Bush not reach an agreement at the November summit, he would face difficult choices. He could press ahead with a testing schedule that would violate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, angering Putin, who has backed Bush’s drive against terrorism. Or Bush could push back the timetable of a project that his aides have argued could be the most significant legacy of his presidency.

Standing beside Putin at a news conference, Bush argued that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., have made a missile defense system more urgent. Bush told the Russian leader that missile defenses would "protect both our lands from political blackmail, from potential terrorist attack."

However, Putin noted, "It would be difficult for me to agree that some terrorist will be able to capture intercontinental missiles and will be able to use them."

Putin defended the ABM Treaty as "an important element of stability in the world," but he reaffirmed a willingness to modify the pact in return for deep cuts in offensive nuclear weapons by both sides.

Bush met separately with the leaders of eight nations during the economic conference, including Chinese President Jiang Zemin, and thanked each of them for their support of the U.S. anti-terrorism campaign.

Pacific Rim leaders called for international cooperation with the U.S.-led battle against terrorism, but stopped short Sunday of endorsing the military campaign in Afghanistan.

Nevertheless, President Bush said he won "strong support" at the economic forum for the fight against terror on all fronts — financial, diplomatic and military.

The United States issued a separate joint statement on terrorism only with Russia, and Bush saved his warmest words for Putin.

"Vladimir Putin was the first person to call. That’s what a friend does, calls in time of need, and he called," Bush said of the events of Sept. 11.

Russia has backed the U.S. moves in Afghanistan by offering to share intelligence, granting assent to the use of airspace, urging central Asian states to cooperate with the United States and promising to continue arming opposition forces fighting Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers.

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