    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [July 15, 2006]
    [Pages 1394-1401]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference With President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Strelna, Russia
    July 15, 2006

        President Putin. Dear ladies and gentlemen, I have just completed my
    meeting with the President of the United States. The Russian party is
    satisfied with the results of this meeting. The meeting has reaffirmed
    that Russia and the United States remain reliable and mutually
    interested partners. We have been able to reach a whole range of
    agreements on key issues on the bilateral and international agenda.
        We have adopted a joint statement, the basis of which are our
    parallel initiatives on the secure development of nuclear energy. Its
    main goal is to contribute to the sustainability and reliability of the
    supply of this type of energy resource and the parallel reduction of the
    threat of the spread of nuclear weapons. We believe that this will be
    possible in the case of the creation of a system of international
    enrichment centers integrated into a single network and, of course,
    under strict control on the part of the IAEA.
        It is equally important to pay a close attention to the development
    of innovative technology in the creation of new-generation reactors. The
    most productive way to go is to carry out this work on the basis of
    broad international cooperation. Such an approach will have a positive
    and stabilizing effect on the progress of international political and
    economic processes.
        We have also supported the United States proposal on the Global
    Nuclear Energy Partnership. The Russian initiative on the creation of
    multilateral centers for the provision of nuclear fuel cycle services
    and the idea of a global partnership in this area complement each other
    very well, and we'll jointly work towards integrating these two
    initiatives. In order to achieve this, we'll have to resolve problems
    that have to do

    [[Page 1395]]

    with the terms of trade in nuclear materials between Russia and the
    United States.
        In addition to that, we have come up with a joint statement on
    fighting acts of nuclear terrorism. It reaffirms the shared desire of
    Russia and the United States to counter this dangerous threat and opens
    new horizons for our joint efforts. Our countries are demonstrating
    their commitment to taking the most serious measures to counter the
    acquisition, transport, or use of nuclear and radioactive materials by
    terrorists, as well as improvised explosive devices based on such
    materials. It is equally important to rule out any hostile actions
    against nuclear facilities. We hope that this initiative will draw the
    due attention of other participants in the G-8 and will deliver concrete
    results.
        We have had a productive discussion of the entire range of
    international issues. Those include Iran's nuclear program, the
    situation in the Middle East, on the Korean Peninsula, and in other
    regions of the world.
        We also discussed the settlement of persistent conflicts in regions
    that are Russia's neighbors. Both sides have expressed and reaffirmed
    their commitment to resolving all these problems through peaceful
    political and diplomatic means. We intend to step up our efforts in the
    spirit of solidarity to counter new threats and challenges. A good
    example is our joint initiative to hold in spring 2007 in Vienna a
    political conference on the partnership of governments, civil society,
    and business in counterterrorism.
        On the whole, we hope that our joint proposals and agreements will
    lay a good groundwork for a successful G-8 summit. They will set the
    right constructive tone for the proceedings of a credible international
    forum.
        We have also discussed bilateral cooperation in the light of the
    parallel instructions to the government agencies and departments of the
    two countries to step up our interaction. We have registered success in
    the achievement of our goals in all areas: economy, security, science
    and outer space, people-to-people contacts. Some of the instructions
    have already been fulfilled; others are still being carried out. New
    goals have been agreed upon that will be addressed in nearest future.
    Those include the peaceful use of nuclear energy, fighting money
    laundering, fighting avian influenza, and cultural cooperation.
        We have not limited ourselves to the discussion of the current
    problems; quite the contrary. We have tried to glance at the Russian-
    U.S. relationship from the perspective of the future and in the broad
    context of the development of the system of international relations as a
    whole.
        I would like to thank our American partners for a friendly and
    constructive atmosphere in which our meeting has taken place. Thank you
    for your attention.
        President Bush. We did have a very good discussion today. It was
    started--actually, our discussion started last night over a really good
    dinner. And I want to thank you and Mrs. Putina for being such wonderful hosts.
        You've got to admit this is a fantastic setting. It's beautiful. The
    cottages are very comfortable. I think that our fellow G-8 leaders are
    going to really enjoy being here.
        Anyway, we had a good discussion this morning. One thing is clear,
    is relations between America and Russia are good, and they're important
    that they be good. We've got a lot to--we've got a lot to work on. We
    discussed North Korea and Iran. Those are two difficult issues, made
    less difficult because Russia and the United States are willing to work
    together to send clear messages to both governments that their nuclear
    weapons ambitions are not acceptable.
        We talked about the Middle East. I explained my position, which I'm
    confident I'll be asked about here in a minute. The President talked
    about his concerns. We share the same concerns. We are concerned about
    the violence, and we're troubled by the loss of innocent life. President

    [[Page 1396]]

    Putin, like me, wants there to be peaceful dialog. And so we had a good,
    frank discussion about the issue.
        We talked about our bilateral relations. I think it's indicative of
    the strength of our relationship that we're able to agree on
    nonproliferation matters. Not only agree on it, we're taking the lead on
    this issue. And I want to thank the President for his leadership on this
    issue.
        We're talking about nuclear cooperation, and we're about to begin
    dialogs about how we can cooperate better when it comes to peaceful uses
    of nuclear power. We're talking about counterterrorism. Nation-states
    face the threat of terrorism, and we want to work together to deal with
    this threat.
        I, of course--we talked philosophy. One thing, what happens when you
    get relaxed and are friendly with each other, you're able to share
    philosophies and able to ask questions about decisionmaking. And I
    appreciated very much our discussion last night and this morning about
    why the President has made decisions he's made, what decisions he
    intends to make, and the decisions I made. We don't always agree with
    each other, but nevertheless, it's important for leaders to be able to
    share philosophy, whether it be the philosophy of government or the
    philosophy of governing.
        And our relationship is good. And I want to thank the President for
    his hospitality. I thank you for your good food, thank you for the 60th
    birthday gift you gave me last night, and thanks for the meeting this
    morning.
        President Putin. Ladies and gentlemen, please ask your questions.
    There will be three questions on each side. We'll start with the Russian
    journalists.

    Russia-U.S. Relations

        Q. Thank you. Good afternoon. My question is to both leaders.
    Question one is to President Bush. Russia, at the negotiations with its
    international partners, has demonstrated openness and transparency in
    its economy but does not always receive an adequate response. We can see
    this at the talks on the accession of Russia to the WTO. Since 2001, the
    United States has been supportive of Russia's accession to the WTO, but
    why are you the key impediment for the completion of this process? I'm
    sure that you've discussed this issue at the negotiations.
        And my question to Mr. Putin: Given such difficulties, can we afford
    to give up a proactive position with respect to the accession to the
    WTO? Thank you.
        President Bush. We're tough negotiators. But--and the reason why is
    because we want the agreement that we reach to be accepted by our United
    States Congress. In other words, when we negotiate an agreement, it has
    to be approved--any trade agreement has to be approved. But I believe
    we're fair negotiators, and our negotiators come to the table trying to
    achieve the objective that I've sent out, that we want Russian accession
    into WTO. That's what we want. And we will continue negotiating.
        Evidently, there was a false report in the press that said a deal
    was reached. Well, it's almost reached. In other words, we--a lot of the
    areas, we found accommodation in a lot of the areas. But there's more
    work to be done. And we discussed this today, and I assured the
    President that we'll continue to negotiate. And he assured me that we'll
    continue to negotiate in good faith to try to reach an agreement that
    has been difficult to achieve. I understand that.
        But you've just got to understand the intention to achieve an
    agreement is there.
        President Putin. I and my guest, my friend, the President of the
    United States, George W. Bush, are often asked the question, ``Does our
    personal relationship help in progressing--in addressing this question,
    in resolving various international issues?'' I know that he believes so,
    that this informal personal relationship is helping us in our work. I
    have to tell you that, at the same time, it does not hamper us in
    standing

    [[Page 1397]]

    up for our national interests in this or that area.
        The WTO accession talks are very concrete, calculable in their
    nature, which can be expressed in terms of millions of dollars or
    rubles. This is a complicated process that has lasted for quite a while,
    for quite a few years. This difficulty is not a surprise to us. We will
    continue to work further, pursuing our interest, the interest of our
    developing economy.

    Situation in the Middle East

        Q. The violence in the Middle East is escalating despite calls for
    restraint. What can you, President Bush and President Putin, do to stop
    the violence, stop the fighting, given that there is divisions among
    allies here about whether Israel is using excessive force?
        President Bush. I think you'll find all parties here want the
    violence to stop. In my judgment, the best way to stop the violence is
    to understand why the violence occurred in the first place. And that's
    because Hizballah has been launching rocket attacks out of Lebanon into
    Israel and because Hizballah captured two Israeli soldiers. That's why we have
    violence.
        And the best way to stop the violence is for Hizballah to lay down
    its arms and to stop attacking. And therefore, I call upon Syria to
    exert influence over Hizballah.
        Now, here's my concern, is that we were making good progress toward
    a two-state solution in the Middle East. The Israeli Prime
    Minister came to Washington and talked to me
    about his desire for there to be a democracy living side by side with
    another democracy, said this was part of his strategic vision for Israel
    and for peace.
        And he was working toward that end. As you
    know, he made efforts to reach out to President Abbas, who we support. He made efforts to reach out to
    countries in the neighborhood to help achieve this vision. And as the
    vision was progressing, certain elements--certain terrorist elements
    began to act to stop the advance of democracy. The militant wing of
    Hamas made decisions to attack and to capture. Hizballah has made
    decisions to stop the advance of a two-state solution.
        The solution--short-term solution is for Hizballah to stop the
    attacks. The longer-term solution is for nations around the world and
    nations in the neighborhood to support those who support the advance of
    democracy.
        President Putin. I agree with the premise that it is absolutely
    unacceptable to try and reach this or that goal, including political
    goals, through the use of force, through abductions, through carrying
    out strikes against an independent state from the territory of another
    state. This is all true. And in this context, we consider Israel's
    concerns to be justified.
        At the same time, we work under the assumption that the use of force
    should be balanced. And in any case, bloodshed should stop as soon as
    possible. This should be the point of departure for the efforts to
    create an enabling environment for the resolution of the entire set of
    problems. Escalation of violence, in our opinion, will not yield
    positive results.
        At any rate, we share the approach with President Bush. We will take
    every necessary effort on both sides, and I hope that our G-8 colleagues
    will support us. We will find common ground on this front in order to
    bring the situation, as soon as possible, to a position where concrete
    results could be achieved, not only in terms of the cessation of combat
    but also in terms of building an enabling environment for the
    development of Israel within secure borders, in the context of security,
    as well as in terms of the building of the independent Palestine state.

    Russia-U.S. Relations/Nuclear Proliferation

        Q. Mr. President, let me address my question to both of you. There
    has been a lot of concerns about proliferation of weapons of mass
    destruction and missile delivery. Have you discussed this issue? If

    [[Page 1398]]

    yes, could you share the results of your talks? And also, if you could
    let me, we all can see that you enjoy good personal relationships, but
    do you notice any deterioration of ties on a state level between the two
    countries? Thank you.
        President Bush. What was the first part of the question?
        Q. Have you discussed proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
    and missile delivery, and what are the results of your talks?
        President Bush. We sure have. We talked about our concerns about
    Iran developing a nuclear weapon or Iran having the capacity to make a
    nuclear weapon, and we talked about North Korea. And the results of our
    talks are that we agree that we've got to work together to send a common
    message to both that there is a better way forward for these leaders.
        And so we're working with Russia and our partners to develop
    Security Council resolutions that will send a clear message. One thing
    is for certain, that if the Iranians see that the United States and
    Russia are working together on this issue, they'll understand the
    seriousness of our intent.
        And so we spent time talking about the issue--sure did. We
    understand that a grave threat that faces countries like America and
    Russia would be--is the ability of a terrorist organization to end up
    with a weapon of mass destruction. Both nations have had to deal with
    terrorism; both nations know what it's like to see people blown up.
    Russia suffered through one of the most horrible terrorist incidents in
    modern mankind, which is Beslan, where terrorists are willing to kill
    young children to achieve political objectives. And the President and I
    understand that when you make that kind of attitude with a weapon of
    mass destruction, you could be talking about greater catastrophe. And so
    we spent a lot of time talking about it.
        I think relations between the United States and Russia are very
    good. There's a lot of skeptics on both sides of the equation as to
    whether or not the relationship is good. We've got people in Russia
    questioning U.S. motives, people in America questioning Russian motives.
    But that's what happens when you have--when you're big nations that have
    got influence, where you've got leaders willing to make tough decisions.
    And I would characterize, from my perspective, that our relationship is
    strong and necessary. That's the point I want to make to you, that a
    strong relationship will make the world a better place, in my judgment,
    because we'll be better able to confront the current problems that face
    us all.
        President Putin. I have already mentioned that we will not
    participate in any crusades, in any holy alliances. This is true. I
    reaffirm our position in this matter. But our common goal is to make the
    world a more secure place, and certainly we'll be working with all our
    partners, including the United States, in order to address this problem.
    It is for this reason that we are joining our efforts with other G-8
    countries.
        And I have to say that this is not some kind of plot against a
    particular country, where a certain problem emerges, be it missile or
    nuclear proliferation. We are seeking not only for the possibility of
    controlling this or that process; we are seeking opportunities for
    ensuring their legal access to nuclear technology. It is to this end
    that we have adopted our joint initiative on the creation of
    international centers for uranium enrichment and reprocessing of spent
    nuclear fuel. These are not unilateral actions aimed at trying to block
    somebody's access to something. This is a search for solutions that
    could ensure development in the world, at the same time would make the
    development secure in terms of nuclear nonproliferation and missile
    nonproliferation.
        We're satisfied with the level of exchanges at the working level,
    which we have achieved in terms of bilateral cooperation. At the
    summit's end, in the context

    [[Page 1399]]

    of the U.N. Security Council, we will continue our work tonight and
    tomorrow in the course of our discussion with our partners who are
    arriving in St. Petersburg.

    Iran

        Q. Mr. President, we know that you talked about Iran and North
    Korea. Let me ask you if you moved forward at all on these issues? Did
    you ask Russia to take specific steps, for example with Iran, to agree
    to U.N. sanctions? Did you discuss what you could move on--in North
    Korea to move it forward?
        And, President Putin, is Russia now willing, if necessary, to vote
    for sanctions in the United Nations to stop Iran's nuclear preparations?
        President Bush. We strategized on both issues. But this isn't the
    first time that we've talked together to--on how to solve problems. You
    might remember that Russia proposed a very interesting way forward for
    Iran. It was the Putin Government that said to the Iranians, ``If you
    want a civilian nuclear power program, we will support you in that;
    however, we will provide the fuel, and we'll collect the spent fuel.'' I
    thought it was a very innovative approach to solving the problem. I
    strongly supported the initiatives.
        So, Bill [Bill Plante, CBS News], to answer your question, this
    isn't the first time that we have strategized on how to solve this
    problem. And, yes, we talked about the U.N. Security Council resolution.
    And, no, I'm not going to tell you the particulars about the
    conversation. I will tell you, however, that there is common agreement
    that we need to get something done at the U.N., and I'm confident we
    will be able to do that. And there's agreement that we need to get
    something done on North Korea at the United Nations.
        Here's the thing, though, just so that everybody understands:
    Diplomacy is not two countries just saying, this is the way it is.
    Diplomacy is two countries agreeing to work together with other
    countries, in this case, to come up with common language that we can
    live with that sends the same message, and that is, no nuclear weapons
    programs.
        Our goal and objective is to have a nuclear-free--nuclear weapons-
    free Korean Peninsula. Russia shares that objective, China shares the
    objective, Japan shares the objective, and South Korea shares the
    objective. So we've got common ground to move forward, and now we're
    working on language. And it was a very constructive meeting.
        President Putin. You know, I have spoken on this count for many
    times. I can repeat, it is not in Russia's national interest to see a
    proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons,
    especially in such an explosive region as the Middle East.
        This is something that we tell our Iranian partners directly. We
    have always told them about it. There is nothing novel or new about our
    position in this respect. But we work on the assumption that we have to
    find efficient ways of ensuring security around the world. We need to
    take efficient diplomatic steps that would not disrupt the gentle fabric
    of the negotiations in the search for mutually acceptable decisions. And
    we're satisfied with the status of the U.S.-Russia relationship in this
    area.
        Q. I apologize, but I would like to follow up on the question of my
    U.S. colleague. Could you speak at greater detail? You have discussed
    the Iranian nuclear issue in terms of what has happened before and what
    may happen in the future. There is now the situation with the Iranian
    nuclear issue. How do you see it as of now? And most importantly, what
    are we to expect in the future?
        President Bush. ----progress, because Russia and the United States
    agree that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. In other words, the
    Iranians need to understand that we're speaking with one voice that they
    shouldn't have a weapon, and that's progress.

    [[Page 1400]]

        You see, my judgment is they're testing the resolve of the parties
    to determine whether or not we really are resolved to work together to
    prevent them from having a weapon. And the clearer they hear a message,
    the better off--or the closer we'll be to them recognizing there's a
    better way forward. See, we've made our choice, and that's progress.
    We've agreed to work together to achieve a common goal. That's
    considerable progress.
        And now the choice is theirs to make. I have said the United States
    will change our posture on this issue if the Iranian Government does
    what they've already said they would do, which is to verifiably suspend
    their enrichment program, at which point, if they do so, we will come to
    the negotiating table. We will sit side by side.
        Right now we're negotiating together to send a common message. We
    will come to the table. It's their choice to make, however. There is a
    better way forward for the Iranian people than to be isolated because of
    their Government's actions. And so I would say that we've made good
    progress on the issue.
        President Putin. I can see that members of the Russian and U.S.
    press have colluded and are tormenting us with the same kind of
    questions. [Laughter]
        President Bush. An old colluder, but a colluder.
        Q. [Inaudible]
        President Bush. That's right. [Laughter]
        President Putin. I would like to add to what has been said by
    George, that Russia has agreed to participate in the six-way format for
    the discussion of the Iranian issue. We assume that in the course of the
    elaboration of the position of the six countries, the opinion of Russia
    will be taken into account, and we can see that our partners are acting
    along these lines, precisely.
        What does this imply for us? This implies that if we elaborate
    common approaches to this difficult problem, we will see to it that our
    joint decisions are fulfilled. This is what we said honestly and
    directly to our Iranian partners. I said it at the meeting with the
    President of the Islamic Republic of Iran in China quite recently.
        True, it is extremely important to adhere to an approach within
    which the countries that are involved in the negotiations would be able
    to elaborate a shared approach to the resolution of the problem, but the
    approach has to be balanced and has to take into account the interests
    of the Iranian people in their desire to develop state-of-the-art, high-
    tech industries, including nuclear ones. This has to be done under the
    obligatory requirement that nonproliferation is ensured and the overall
    security situation around the world is improved.

    Democracy in Russia

        Q. President Bush, you said that you planned to raise, in a
    respectful way, your concerns about Russian democracy with President
    Putin. How did that conversation go? And I know you've already talked a
    lot about the U.S.-Russian relationship, but I'm wondering if both of
    you could elaborate on that and how the differences of opinion over the
    democracy issue are affecting the relationship.
        President Bush. I thought the discussion was a good discussion. It's
    not the first time that Vladimir and I discussed our governing
    philosophies. I have shared with him my desires for our country, and he
    shared with me his desires for his. And I talked about my desire to
    promote institutional change in parts of the world like Iraq where
    there's a free press and free religion, and I told him that a lot of
    people in our country would hope that Russia would do the same thing.
        I fully understand, however, that there will be a Russian-style
    democracy. I don't expect Russia to look like the United States. As
    Vladimir pointedly reminded me last night, we have a different history,
    different traditions. And I will let him describe to you his way
    forward, but he shared with me some very interesting

    [[Page 1401]]

    thoughts that I think would surprise some of our citizens.
        Now that I've lured you into the deal here, you know--like, for
    example, how do you promote land reform? So we discussed land reform.
    You know, one of the interesting decisions a government has to make,
    particularly this Government would have to make, is how do you encourage
    private ownership of land further than that which has already happened?
        Anyway, he shared some thoughts with me. Sorry to put--lay the trap
    out there for you--but it was a good discussion. He's a strong man.
    Look, he's willing to listen, but he also explains to me, he doesn't
    want anybody telling him how to run his Government. He was elected. And
    so it was a cordial relationship. But he can speak for himself.
        President Putin. We certainly would not want to have the same kind
    of democracy as they have in Iraq, I will tell you quite honestly.
    [Laughter]
        President Bush. Just wait.
        President Putin. But it is true that we have discussed this issue at
    length, on the initiative of the President of the United States and on
    my own initiative as well. It is true that we assume that nobody knows
    better than us how we can strengthen our own nation. But we know for
    sure that we cannot strengthen our nation without developing democratic
    institutions, and this is the path that we will certainly take. But
    certainly, we will do this by ourselves.
        At the same time, as far as the forum and context in which we
    discussed this last night and earlier today, we believe that this is not
    only acceptable to us to have such discussions with our partners, but I
    personally believe that this is quite useful as well, because when we do
    this in a nonbiased manner, in a friendly manner, in an objective
    manner, when we recognize that the existence of problems in this part of
    the world, when we recognize that problems with democracy are universal
    in their nature--these are not specifically Russian problems, the
    problems of building democracy are universal--and when we honestly and
    openly discuss this, as was the case last night, as was the case earlier
    today, this will always be useful.
        Thank you for your attention. Have a nice day.

    Note: The President's news conference began at 12:29 p.m. at the
    International Media Center. In his remarks, President Bush referred to
    Lyudmila Putina, wife of President Putin; Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad
    Regev, Israeli soldiers captured and held captive by militants in
    Lebanon since July 12; Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel; and
    President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority. President Putin
    referred to President Mahmud Ahmadi-nejad of Iran. President Putin spoke
    in Russian, and his remarks were translated by an interpreter.