Moscow, Nov 25: Russian President Vladimir Putin praised today the results of his meeting last week with US President George W. Bush, brushing aside the importance of any disagreements the two leaders might have had over Iraq.

Friday's meeting was effective "not only because of the number of questions discussed, but also because we had a chance to synchronise our positions in international affairs," Interfax quoted Putin as telling a government meeting.
"The talks were not only very open, but also productive," Itar-Tass further quoted Putin as saying, with the Russian leader adding that he graded the results of the meeting "very highly."
Bush and Putin on Friday signed a joint declaration calling on Saddam Hussein's regime to disarm.
But Putin, during a joint press conference with Bush, also stressed that he still refused to support unilateral US strikes against Iraq, stressing that any such threat must first be sanctioned by the United Nations security council.



Putin also appeared to question the success of the current US campaign in Afghanistan, noting that top terror suspect Osama bin Laden remains unaccounted for.



Bush refused to answer any questions about bin Laden, ending Friday's press conference abruptly shortly after the issue of Iraq came up.


Bureau Report