Friendly Words But No Deal By Bush and Putin

The New England summit between presidents George Bush and Vladimir Putin ended yesterday without a significant breakthrough on the divisive issues that have brought relations between the two to the lowest point since the cold war.

The relaxed setting at the Bush family seaside retreat at Kennebunkport, Maine, failed to produce agreement on the proposed US missile system in eastern Europe.

Against the backdrop of the jagged Atlantic coastline, the two men claimed that the meeting, dubbed the Lobster summit by the US media, had helped improve their personal relationship.

Mr Bush described Mr Putin as "consistent, transparent and honest, and an easy man to discuss our opportunities and problems with". It was a positive description after months of over-heated US-Russian rhetoric.

Mr Putin had suggested stopping off in the US on the way to Guatemala for a meeting to discuss the location of the 2014 winter Olympics.

Mr Bush, instead of opting for the White House or his Texas ranch, invited him to Kennebunkport. Mr Putin is the first foreign leader to stay there.

The Bush administration hoped the informal setting would be conducive to diplomacy.

But the closest the two came to a positive development was a vague promise to work towards presenting a united front on the Iranian nuclear issue.

They had dinner on Sunday night, followed by a 90-minute fishing trip yesterday morning, then serious negotiations.

The main point of contention is a proposed US missile defence system. Mr Putin is opposed to a US plan to station 10 silos containing interceptor missiles in Poland and a tracking system in the Czech Republic, seeing it as a threat to Russia. The US says it is intended to provide a shield against Iran.

Mr Putin focused on his surprise counter-proposal last month that it be stationed in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. The US defence secretary, Robert Gates, has said that Azerbaijan is not a suitable alternative to eastern Europe, but Mr Putin wanted to hear directly Mr Bush's response.

Mr Bush was reluctant to completely dismiss the Azerbaijan proposal, but sees it as complementary to the new system rather than a substitute for Poland and the Czech Republic.

In a new twist, Mr Putin suggested placing the system in southern Russia. Mr Bush described the proposals for Azerbaijan or southern Russia as "innovative". But he refused to back down: "I think the Czech Republic and Poland need to be an integral part of the system," he said.

Mr Bush and Mr Putin spoke loosely about working together to try to end the stand-off with Iran over its suspected nuclear weapons program.

Mr Bush said: "When Russia and the United States speak along the same lines, it tends to have an effect and, therefore, I appreciate the Russians' attitude in the United Nations."

The US wants the UN security council to impose a third round of sanctions against Iran for failing to stop its uranium enrichment program, which could lead to the development of a nuclear weapon. But Mr Putin has been reluctant to take further action against Iran.

Although the two presidents may have narrowed the gap yesterday, there is still no agreement on the detail, which will be fought over at meetings of the security council.

The US wants Iran's neighbors and other countries to intercept cargo heading for Iran that might contain nuclear technology and to freeze the assets of several Iranian banks, but Moscow has yet to agree.

Mr Bush said: "We're close on recognising that we have got to work together to send a common message."

But Mr Putin said he anticipated "further substantial intercourse on this issue" with Iran.

The two also remained divided over the future of Kosovo, with the US supporting its breakaway from Serbia and Moscow opposed.

The UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-Moon, had said he hoped the meeting would resolve differences over the future of Kosovo. He said the security council should act without further delay in implementing a UN proposal to grant Kosovo internationally supervised independence.

"Most members of the security council agree that these recommendations present a fair and good prospect for the future of Kosovo people," Mr Ban told reporters in Geneva.

Gone fishing

It was the perfect catch. President George Bush and his father took President Vladimir Putin on a fishing trip in the hope of improving US-Russian relations.

The Russian leader was taken out on their speedboat, Fidelity, within half-an-hour of his arrival at Kennebunkport, Maine, on Sunday. Yesterday, they went out again after a breakfast of pancakes and omelets. Mr Putin landed the only fish of the day. "But," he said later, "it was a team effort."

At the weekend, Mr Bush senior had said: "Fishing is good for the soul. Fishing is good for one person to get to know another." But when the two leaders sat down later for serious talks, dubbed the Lobster summit by the US media, there was no significant breakthrough.

In keeping with the New England theme, the two leaders and their advisers dined on Sunday night on lobster and swordfish, followed by blueberry and pecan pie.