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US President in Moscow for Summit with Putin
US President Bill Clinton arrived Moscow Saturday for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin that is expected to be dominated by arms control.
Shortly after his arrival, Clinton went to the Kremlin for supper and jazz with Putin, their first meeting since Putin took office early last Month.
Putin was hosting an informal dinner for a "narrow circle"' of guests in his private apartment in the Kremlin, the Interfax news agency reported.
Clinton flew in from Germany on the penultimate leg of a week-long tour of Europe. He is scheduled to leave for Ukraine Monday at the end of his three-day working visit to Russia.
The two leaders will meet Sunday for a day of summit talks that are likely to be dominated by arms control, Russian media reported.
Another three meetings between Putin and Clinton are planned this year, the Interfax news agency reported. The summits will take place at the G-8 meeting in Okinawa, Japan, in July, at the Millennium Assembly in New York in September and at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation informal leaders meeting at the end of the year.
Ties between Moscow and Washington warmed up recently, but major differences remain over such issues as missile defense and Chechnya.
Russia is strongly opposed to U.S. attempts to develop a missile defense system that violates the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missiles treaty.
However, on the eve of Clinton's arrival, Putin suggested to Washington that a joint missile defense system be created.
Besides arms control, the two sides will also discuss such issues as international terrorism, economic cooperation and Russia 's bid to join the World Trade Organization, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.
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