Bush Prods Pakistani President

President Bush challenged Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Sunday to show results in preventing militants from carrying out terrorist acts in the disputed Kashmir region. That issue, he said, is more important than Pakistan's two missile tests.

After meeting with French President Jacques Chirac, Bush said the United States had expressed concerns about the tests to Musharraf's government. But he said he is more interested in seeing that Musharraf take action to stop attacks in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where Indian soldiers and civilians have been killed.

Bush's comments came as Pakistan was conducting widely criticized missile tests. Pakistan tested a second missile Sunday as the international community struggled to contain the country's rising tensions with neighboring India.

Officials said the military conducted the first-ever test of a new short-range missile, the Hatf-III or Ghaznavi. With a range of 176 miles, the missile could reach the border regions of India, where hundreds of thousands of soldiers face Pakistani troops in a standoff.

Sunday's launch, which had been expected, came despite international pleas for both sides to ease hostilities and followed what Pakistan said was the successful test-firing Saturday of a Ghauri missile with a range of 900 miles, far enough to reach deep into India.

"I'm more concerned about making sure ... that President Musharraf show results in terms of stopping people from crossing the line of control," Bush said. "Stopping terrorism. That is more important than the missile testing."

Bush and Chirac said they discussed Bush's desire to expand the war on terrorism beyond Afghanistan. Most French citizens, shocked by the Sept. 11 attacks, expressed strong sympathy for the United States immediately afterward, but they have since begun to object to civilian casualties in the war on terror.

Bush praised France as a "decisive ally" in the anti-terror effort, taking the lead in hunting down suspected terrorists and sharing intelligence. "For that I'm very grateful, Mr. President," Bush told Chirac.

He expressed concern about another attack. "They'd like to strike again," he said. "These are cold-blooded killers."

Looking past his own country's wariness of the anti-terror campaign, Chirac urged other nations to remain committed to the effort.

"Terrorism still exists," Chirac said. "Therefore, all leaders around the world must pay attention to this issue and be determined to eradicate terrorism."

The two presidents also discussed Bush's just-ended visit to Russia, and burgeoning links between Russia and NATO that will be codified in a document to be signed this week in Italy.

"On Tuesday in Rome, we will have an opportunity to set in stone this change in the relationship," Chirac said.

But the French president also chided Bush on a pair of nagging trade issues: U.S. tariffs on steel imports and its newly enacted farm bill that runs afoul of World Trade Organization rules by giving American farmers new subsidies. Europe subsidizes its own farmers.

Chirac acknowledged that "there could have been a misunderstanding" regarding the farm legislation, but made clear he wants the United States to explain its actions on both matters.

"These are very real issues, and real answers have to be given to these problems, after intense consultation and dialogue," Chirac said.

Asked about Russia's nuclear assistance to Iran, Bush said Russian President Vladimir Putin knows his own country could be endangered if Iran developed the ability to launch missiles.

The United States is concerned that Russia's aid will help Iran develop nuclear weapons. During his summit with Bush, Putin defended the aid as strictly for civilian purposes.

Bush said Putin is willing to see whether Iran would allow inspectors into the country to verify that the plant would not be used to make nuclear weapons. "And we're thinking about what he told us," Bush said.

Bush looked ahead to his visit Monday to the beaches of Normandy for a Memorial Day ceremony honoring soldiers killed in the June 6, 1944 D-Day invasion during World War II. Bush said he believes he is the first U.S. president to spend the holiday outside of the United States.

"Memorial Day, in my country, is a day to honor those who have sacrificed for freedom, given their lives," Bush said. "Many died in France and I'm looking forward to the moment to share our country's appreciation."

Bush said he plans to refer to "current, modern-day sacrifices" in his Monday speech.

Ahead of Bush's arrival, leftist organizations — including France's dwindling Communist Party — called for protests in Paris on Sunday to object to Bush's positions on issues ranging from the death penalty to the environment and the plight of Palestinians.

Before leaving St. Petersburg, Russia, told reporters that he has "strong reservations" about Pakistani missile tests that began Saturday, but hoped India would not view the tests as a sign of provocation, given the tensions between India and Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir region.

Both countries are nuclear powers and "everybody understands the dangers ... and the serious consequences," Bush said.

"Obviously we hope that there is restraint in the area," Bush said.

National security adviser Condoleezza Rice said Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf is "secure in his power" and able to act responsibly. "It is important for him to use that important leadership now to defuse this crisis," she said on Fox News Sunday.

On another foreign policy issue, Bush said he is frustrated that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat "had a chance to secure the peace as a result of the hard work of President Clinton, and he didn't." Some among the leadership of the Palestinian Authority are showing a "new attitude" toward Arafat, Bush said, adding, "People are beginning to question out loud why there hasn't been some success" on peace efforts.

Bush spent the final hours of his three-day trip to Russia in St. Petersburg, visiting a historic synagogue and worshipping at Kazan Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church that was the Museum of Atheism under communism.

"One of my strong beliefs is that people should be free to worship, and I'm pleased that is taking place in Russia," Bush said outside Grand Choral Synagogue.

The synagogue remained open during the Soviet era, but Jews who came to worship were harassed by government police.