2 St. Petersburgs: formal and relaxed

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - Mayor Rick Baker and members of his Florida delegation had hoped to talk about an economic development summit and tourism exchange during a Thursday meeting with government counterparts here.

But St. Petersburg, Russia, Gov. Vladimir Yakovlev, leader of a region of 4.7-million people, wanted simply to sign a partnership agreement, exchange gifts and toast with a little champagne.

Baker, City Council chairman Earnest Williams, Council members Bill Foster and John Bryan and County Commission chairwoman Karen Seel accepted the protocol and took part in what was largely a ceremonial event.

"I understand the protocol, but I'm not used to the rigidity of the agenda," Foster said later, as he purchased a fur hat from a vendor at the base of a lighthouse in this port city. "They were unwilling to deviate from the protocol and the schedule. I felt rushed. A joint partnership is mutual dialogue. We weren't able to talk about anything."

It was a classic example of how differently Russians and Americans operate when it comes to negotiations. The Americans wanted to get down to business. The Russians believe there is a time and place for everything, and this was not the time to discuss the details.

Baker had come up with an informal agenda for his meeting with Gov. Yakovlev, talking points about economic development and tourism he hoped to cover. He and other government officials from St. Petersburg spent time during a train ride from Moscow to St. Petersburg Wednesday hammering out who would say what during their meeting with Yakovlev.

But once the officials gathered in a room with crystal chandeliers and white brocade wall panels in a building called Smolny Institute, Yakovlev seemed intent on signing the agreement. Several times, officials from the Florida delegation asked to present gifts - a large handmade quilt, a book about St. Petersburg, a Waterford Crystal depiction of the Capitol from U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young - to their Russian counterparts, only to be told it would all happen in due course. The Russians exchange their gifts at the end.

Yakovlev, a seven-year governor who is not seeking re-election after his term ends this year, expressed strong support for the future of the agreement. It encourages the two cities to participate in cultural, economic and tourism exchange but binds neither to anything.

He also invited the St. Petersburg delegation to participate in a Victory Day parade today, a celebration of this country's defeat of the Nazis in 1945.

St. Petersburg College president Carl Kuttler Jr., a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who deftly befriends Russians with a mixture of schmoozing, flattery and gift-giving, called the meeting a success. He pointed out that Yakovlev showed strong support for the agreement by having several members of the city's 50-member Assembly and other high-ranking ministers on hand.

Kuttler, who met with St. Petersburg State University president Ludmila Verbitskaja Thursday to discuss a distance learning exchange, said most Russians want to get to know you, drink a little vodka and then sign an agreement. Americans typically want to spend most of their time talking business, he said, and a very small portion on building relationships.

"We haven't waltzed yet, and we're signing an agreement," he said.

Rusty Hughes, consul general of the United States in St. Petersburg, said Russians like to choreograph these types of events down to where officials sit.

"This was a signing ceremony, not a negotiation," said Hughes, who was the host of a caviar reception for the delegation in his official residence Thursday night. "They're more formal than we are. But they're friendly, and that's what's new. They're not so comfortable with . . . the give and take and that's perfectly understandable in a country that has not had (a lot of) contact with Westerners, especially Americans, until recently."

Baker expressed satisfaction with the meeting, saying the Russians never agreed to any agenda. He said he continued to discuss the city's hopes for the agreement with other officials. He pointed to a private meeting with Alexej I. Alexandrov, a state Duma deputy and chairman of the subcommittee on legislation in the field of state security. Baker, his wife, Joyce, Kuttler and Foster slipped out of a visit to St. Petersburg State University and went to the high-ranking official's law office, where they were offered more champagne and got to know each other.

"We are laying the groundwork for other opportunities," Foster said. "We haven't accomplished everything, but we're setting the stage for the future."

Yakovlev has been invited to St. Petersburg, Fla., this year to help celebrate its 100th anniversary. St. Petersburg, Russia, is celebrating its 300th anniversary and will host 45 or more world leaders, including possibly President Bush, this month.

"We accomplished everything we really could, which was just breaking the ice," said Bryan. "I didn't know what to expect, but you can't expect Western standards when you're dealing with an unknown entity like the Russians. I think they were warmer than I thought they would be. But then I remember (Premier Nikita) Khrushchev taking his shoe off and pounding on the desk . . . . That vision still lingers long in the mind."

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