U.S., Russia Vow To Combat Nukes

Seeking common ground amid sensitive differences on democracy, President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Thursday on new efforts to keep nuclear arms away from terrorists as well as sovereign nations like Iran and North Korea.

"We agreed that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. I appreciate Vladimir's understanding on that," Mr. Bush said. "We agreed that North Korea should not have a nuclear weapon."

Mr. Bush spoke at a joint news conference with the Russian leader following a private meeting at a medieval castle overlooking the snow-covered capital and the Danube River.

Putin said that the issue of weapons proliferation, particularly in Iran and North Korea, was a key topic.

"We share a common opinion in this regard and we are taking a similar approach," Putin said.

Prior to the meeting, aides inked an agreement designed to counter nuclear terrorism, in part by restricting the availability of shoulder-fired missiles capable of bringing down aircraft.

"We agreed to accelerate our work to protect nuclear weapons and materials both in our two nations and around the world," Mr. Bush said.

Mr. Bush didn't steer clear of his differences with Putin, whom the administration believes has been backing away from democratic principles in Russia.

Mr. Bush said he made the point in a "constructive and friendly way" that strong countries are built from strong democracies. And he says that means a rule of law, protection of minorities, and a free press.

"Russia has made its choice in favor of democracy," Putin said. "This is our final choice and there is no way back, there can be no return to what we used to have."

Putin added: "We are not going to make up, to invent any kind of special Russian democracy. We are going to commit to the fundamental principles that have been established in the world."

Putin also had criticism for aspects of the U.S. system.

He suggested those who oppose his actions can buy public opinion because they "are richer than those who are in favor."

"We often do not pay attention to that," he said.

He also compared his move to end direct popular election of regional governors, increasing central control, to the American Electoral College.

"It's not considered undemocratic, is it?" Putin said.

The two leaders arrived to a red carpet ceremony in the courtyard of the red-roofed Bratislava Castle, exchanging handshakes and smiles. About a dozen troops, clad in fur-trimmed red and blue uniforms, stood at attention. Elsewhere in the capital, security was tight. Hundreds of heavily armed police officers and sharpshooters kept watch and helicopters flew overhead.

Under the agreement announced Thursday, both nations would share information, take inventories of such weapons, destroy "excess and obsolete" ones, and coordinate efforts to keep them out of the hands of terrorists.

The possession of the shoulder-fired missiles in the hands of criminals or terrorists pose a threat to both passenger and military aviation, a White House statement said. Approximately 1 million of these weapons have been produced worldwide, an thousands may now be in the hands of "non-state actors," the statement said.

Administration officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also said the agreement will include a promise to upgrade security at Russia's nuclear plants and weapons stockpiles, new procedures for responding to possible terrorist attacks and a program to keep nuclear fuel from being diverted to use in nuclear weapons.

Before his meeting with Putin, Mr. Bush spoke to thousands of citizens huddled against a wet snow. He thanked Slovaks for their deployment of non-combat troops to Iraq and celebrated the example their 1989 triumph over communism provides.

"For the Iraqi people, this is their 1989 and they will always remember who stood with them in their quest for freedom," the president said.

The Bush-Putin talks come nearly a year after Putin's strong re-election victory. However, he is in a weakened position following a series of mishaps and setbacks in both domestic and foreign policy.

Those include increased violence in the Chechen conflict, in particular the horrifying raid on a school in Beslan that ended in a torrent of gunfire and explosions that killed more than 330 people, half of them children.

Putin also ended direct popular election of regional governors, increasing central control. And he waged a campaign against the Yukos oil company and its founders. Both drew criticism at home and abroad.

The visit to Slovakia was the final leg on Mr. Bush's five-day tour to heal the trans-Atlantic rift caused by his March 2003 decision to invade Iraq without broad international support. He visited Belgium and Germany before coming here, and met with nearly all European leaders at NATO and European Union meetings in Brussels.