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Bush, Putin Discusses US-Russian Relations, Iraq, Macedonia
US President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had a 10-minute telephone conversation Friday morning on bilateral relations, Iraq sanctions policy and the situation in Macedonia, the White House said.
"President Putin initiated the phone call," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters. "They discussed their meeting in Ljubljana, and both expressed to each other what a positive and strong meeting they thought it was; how it laid the groundwork for a lot of productive work in US-Russian relations. "
The two leaders discussed a wide variety of issues and talked about how they could work together on strategic stability, on improved economic relations and on a variety of regional issues.
And toward that point, Fleischer said that US Commerce Secretary Don Evans, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice will all travel to Russia following the meetings in Genoa of the G-7-plus-1.
Bush discussed with Putin last month in Ljubljana a mission to Russia to help Russia with improving economic circumstances.
The two leaders also discussed Bush's missile defense plans and pledged to continue consultations on the prickly issue, Fleischer said.
On Iraq, Bush told Putin that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov "have additional work to do with regards to the sanctions policy," Fleischer said.
On the situation in Macedonia, Bush and Putin reaffirmed the importance of their two nations working together to help avoid bloodshed in the region, Fleischer added.
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