Putin, Bush Hold 'Casual' Meeting

Jul 02, 05:00 AM

Current Headlines: By David Jackson

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine -- Cool sea breezes greeted Vladimir Putin as the Russian leader arrived Sunday for talks with President Bush that are as much about atmospherics as issues.

Aides to both leaders said they don't expect major agreements on missile defense, Iranian sanctions, Kosovo independence or other disputes.

Instead, the two men will work on their personal relationship, banking on the bed-and-breakfast ambience of a seaside resort that has long been a home to former president George H.W. Bush.

Putin had agreed to meet with Bush on his way to Guatemala for a meeting regarding the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

While waiting for Putin's arrival, Bush told reporters, "It's pretty casual up here ... unstructured."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the Putin-Bush meeting as "a continuation of their dialogue."

Putin arrived late in the day, and the two men went for a ride on the elder Bush's speedboat. They had dinner Sunday with top aides, along with the former president and his wife, Barbara, and first lady Laura Bush. Putin's wife did not make the trip. On the menu: lobster on the half shell, marinated swordfish with vegetable medley and Brazilian cheese bread, and for dessert, blueberry and pecan pies.

Bush and Putin were to have breakfast alone today followed by an informal meeting. The trip was to end with lunch.

The run-up to the meeting altered the normally relaxed environment of a town normally known for lobster trapping.

About 1,000 protesters marched along Ocean Avenue on Sunday afternoon, helping clog traffic in the tiny business district lined with clapboard cafes and antique shops.

"Nobody in town is really excited about it," said Debbie McGrath, who owns a pedicab business with husband Brian.

Some businesses tried to stir up sales. The Clam Shack, perched above the Kennebunk River, advertised lobster rolls and fried clams in Russian. The translations were done by employee and Russian native Andrei Enikeev. Enikeev said he likes the idea of the American and Russian leaders meeting out on Walker Point, the Bush-owned property that juts into the Atlantic Ocean. "They get to get away from the cameras."

Aides said that there was no set agenda but that the two leaders planned to discuss several issues on which they have had disagreements.

The United States supports putting components of a missile-defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland that Bush says would be able to shoot down missiles coming from states such as North Korea or Iran. Bush also backs conditional independence for the Serbian province of Kosovo and is seeking increased sanctions against Iran over nuclear development.

Putin has threatened to turn Russia's nuclear missiles toward European cities if the United States moves ahead with basing a missile-defense system in Eastern Europe. He has proposed a missile-defense alternative: using an existing radar base in Azerbaijan that would be run by both the United States and Russia.

Putin also backs Serbia's position that Kosovo should not be independent. And Russia has resisted increasing sanctions against Iran.

Michelle Spear, a retired L.L. Bean employee, said she's spending the weekend in Kennebunkport because she thinks history will be made. "I don't think they would go to all of this for nothing," she said. (c) Copyright 2005 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.