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Bush, Putin Have Get-acquainted Phone Call
U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone Wednesday, White House said.
The two presidents had a 15-minute "friendly get-acquainted session," White House spokeswoman Mary Ellen Countryman said. She declined to discuss the "range of issues" that came up in the conversation, which Bush initiated.
Speaking through translator, they agreed that "it would be a good idea to meet," she said.
"Both presidents stressed the importance of engaging one another in an ongoing dialogue," she said. They have also exchanged letters, Countryman said.
The conversation followed one Tuesday between Secretary of State Colin Powell and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the Powell- Ivanov telephone conversation "was a good beginning." The Russian Foreign Ministry said Ivanov and Powell agreed to meet "in the near future for the purpose of exchanging views on the entire range of Russian-American cooperation."
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