Bush and Putin disagree over democracy

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and US President George W. Bush after their meeting at Putin's Presidential Residence near Moscow. Picture / Reuters

MOSCOW - US President George W Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin aired their differences on democracy and Moscow's ties with its neighbours today but top aides insisted the talks were amicable and open. 

The two presidents met for over an hour at Putin's country house west of Moscow then dined, as the Russian leader prepared to play host on Monday to dozens of world dignitaries at a parade on the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.  

Bush and Putin went into the session amid strains in the US-Russian relationship. On Saturday in the Latvian capital Riga, Bush had called the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe after the defeat of the Nazis a historic wrong, and held out the Baltic states as an example of democracy for Russia.  

Putin had pointedly refused to apologise for the Soviet occupation and rejected US criticism about Russia's democracy in a CBS 60 Minutes interview that aired on Sunday night.  

"Democracy cannot be exported to some other place," he said.  

However, White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley said Bush's Riga speech was just one issue discussed by the two leaders, with emphasis also on areas in which they are working together such as the Middle East, Iran and North Korea.  

"There's a lot more to our relationship with Russia than just this discussion," Hadley told reporters.  

He said Bush complimented Putin on his recent state of the nation speech in which the Russian president spoke of the importance of democratic principles.  

Hadley said the speech, coming after a frank exchange Bush and Putin had on democracy in February in Slovakia, was evidence that "there's been a good dialogue between the two countries on the issue of democracy".  

In a show of bonhomie in front of television cameras, the two leaders after their talks climbed into a 1956 Russian-made Volga car for a brief drive, with Bush at the wheel.  

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were also at pains to play down any frictions, saying no topic had been taboo.  

"I would characterise the relationship as absolutely straightforward. They say what they think, they say what they mean, and then they act on that," Rice told reporters at the residence where the two leaders met.  

Rice said Bush raised the issue of internal reform in Russia, a reference to Washington's concerns that the Kremlin is stunting democracy, something Putin vehemently denies.  

She said much of the Sunday's discussions were on the Middle East and terrorism.  

Top officials of the so-called Middle East quartet -- Russia, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union -- will meet on Monday.  

- REUTERS