Putin's Pledge Aims to Repair Rift with Bush

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, May 23, 2003

Putin's Pledge Aims to Repair Rift with Bush

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Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday pledged to cooperate with his US counterpart, George W. Bush, in all spheres, a pledge widely seen as a move to repair relations marred by disagreements over Iraq.

In a message delivered to the White House by visiting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, Putin told Bush: "There are many more things that unite us than questions that bring us apart."

Putin said that "Russia is prepared to develop cooperation with the United States in all spheres."

The ITAR-TASS news agency reported that Bush welcomed Putin's statement.

Putin and Bush will meet in Saint Petersburg, the Russian leader's native city, on June 1. There will be the first face-to-face talks between the two since the Iraq war.

During his visit to Washington, Ivanov held 20-minute talks with Bush, which were also attended by US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

"On the whole, Ivanov's US interlocutors assessed the conversation as very positive and warm," ITAR-TASS said.

Putin's statement came ahead of a key UN Security Council vote on whether to lift sanctions on Iraq. Russia announced Wednesday that it would support the US-backed resolution for lifting the sanctions.

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