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Bush, Putin vow to slash warheads
© St. Petersburg Times, WASHINGTON -- President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin took steps Tuesday to sweep away the last vestiges of Cold War competition between the two countries, each pledging to make a significant reduction in long-range nuclear missiles. Bush said the United States will eliminate more than 5,000 warheads in the next decade, bringing the total deployed in this country to between 1,700 and 2,200. Putin said the Russians, who currently have about 5,800 warheads deployed on their territory, would do the same. In addition, the two leaders agreed during a three-hour meeting at the White House that they would work together to bring about peace in the Middle East; create a tie between Russia and NATO; bring Russia into the World Trade Organization; reconstruct a multiethnic government in Afghanistan; step up the battle against drugs and organized crime; tighten security of existing stocks of biological and chemical weapons; and foster democratic principles and a free market in Russia. During a formal news conference after the meeting, Putin and Bush emphasized that these were preliminary agreements, which could be improved upon during informal meetings between the two men later in the week at Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. Also left to be discussed in Crawford is the future of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which Putin wants to protect and Bush wants to abrogate by testing a new nuclear defense system. Another classic remnant of the Cold War -- the 1974 Jackson-Vanick Amendment enacted by Congress to curb U.S.-Soviet trade as long as Jews were restricted from leaving the Soviet Union -- also appears to be on its way out. Bush urged Congress to kill it, saying Russia had made major strides in the protection of religious and ethnic minorities. Bush also praised Putin for opening a political dialogue with opponents in Chechnya, which has been a source of friction between Russian and the Western allies. A decade ago, even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, many of these steps would have been seen as radical, if not impossible. Both Bush and Putin noted that the two former foes are being driven into a new alliance by their common fear of terrorism. "Russia and America share the same threat and the same resolve," Bush declared. "We're transforming our relationship from one of hostility and suspicion to one based on cooperation and trust that will enhance opportunities for peace and progress for our citizens and for people all around the world." Putin added: "We are prepared now to seek solutions in all areas of our joint activities. We intend to dismantle conclusively the vestiges of the Cold War and to develop (an) entirely new partnership for (the) long term." Bush's offer to reduce the U.S. arsenal of long-range nuclear weapons to between 1,700 and 2,200 is not an entirely new idea. During the 1990s, former President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin drew up a framework agreement for what they hoped would be the START III treaty, which committed the United States to 2,200 and Russia to 2,000. The president said a deeper cut than 2,200 is "fully consistent with American security," meaning it has the approval of U.S. military leaders. Putin was less definitive about the cuts he intends, apparently because his country lacks the financial resources to dismantle many missiles. But Putin has previously suggested going as low as 1,500. In recent years, the United States has helped fund some reductions in Russia's nuclear arsenal. John Isaacs, executive director of the Council for a Livable World and the most prominent antinuclear activist in Washington, said the president's proposed cut represents "very important progress" in reducing the nuclear threat. But he noted that neither Bush nor Putin addressed three important questions: How will the cuts be verified? How soon will they be made? Will the missiles be discarded or simply dismantled? When Bush was asked about verification, he replied that he saw no reason to even put his pledge in writing: "My attitude is, here's what we can live with, and so I've announced the level that we'll stick by. And to me, that's how you approach a relationship that is changed and different. "I looked the man in the eye and shook his hand, and if we need to write it down on a piece of paper, I'll be glad to do that. But that's what our government is going to do over the next 10 years. . . . We don't need arms control negotiations to reduce our weaponry in a significant way." His sentiments represent a dramatic reversal of former President Ronald Reagan's oft-quoted edict: "Trust, but verify." According to Bush's advisers, he is hoping this gesture will be enough to persuade Putin to allow the United States to violate the ABM Treaty by testing a defensive weapon. Although both Bush and Putin indicated they were still at odds over the ABM Treaty, a compromise appears possible before Putin returns to Moscow at the end of the week. The ABM Treaty, according to Bush, is just another remnant of the Cold War. "It's a piece of paper that codified a relationship that no longer exists," the president said. "It codified a hateful relationship. And now we've got a friendly relationship. I think we need to have a new strategic framework that reflects the new relationship." Even though the nuclear issues dominated the Bush-Putin news conference, the economic issues discussed between the two leaders could have more impact on the lives of the Russian and American people. Putin said U.S.-Russian cooperation has become "more constructive and tangible." He mentioned two important cooperative projects: the Sakhalin I project, where investors from the United States, Russia, Japan and India are expected to invest $12-billion to tap the plentiful oil and gas reserves in northeast Russia; and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, in which U.S. companies have invested $2.6-billion for a pipeline running from oil fields in Kazakstan to the Black Sea. Putin and Bush also agreed to create a public-private program to assist with banking reform in Russia, and a program to encourage American media companies to help build a competitive media sector in Russia.
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