Bush grins again after summit hiccup

George W. Bush stood tall while the American anthem played in a war graveyard in St Petersburg as he and Vladimir Putin ended their historic summit on nuclear weapons with a tour of the Russian President's native city.

The trip began in the Piskaryovskoye memorial cemetery where hundreds of thousands of Russians who died during World War II are buried. As the two presidents stood in crisp morning sunlight, the Star Spangled Banner rang out over the graves reminding onlookers that 50 years ago Russia and America faced a common enemy - Hitler.

Today the war is against terrorism, Bush later added. He denounced the 'bloodthirsty terrorists' who had attacked civilians in Moscow and New York. The times have also seen a radical reversal in the nations' attitude to each other, Bush said, promising his administration would do everything for its relations with Russia to be 'strong, friendly, co-operative and productive for both peoples'.

The weekend, the leisurely conclusion to a summit that will lead to massive reductions in both sides' nuclear arsenals, gave a glimpse of fresh Russian and US co-operation. Putin said 'all goals had been achieved'.

After the cemetery, the presidents moved to the Hermitage Museum, where, amid the relics of tsars, Putin announced an urgent security council over Kashmir and Bush urged Pakistan to rein in terrorists.

Only at the university, Putin's alma mater, did things threaten to become embarrassing. Analysts had expected the trip to end with a positive statement on economic ties, but when a student asked Putin about the future of Russia's hi-tech industries, the premier turned the question on his 'esteemed guest'.

In reference to Russia's desire to join the US-dominated World Trade Organisation, he said: 'We do not need favours or subsidies. All we want is normal relations.' Bush ran through the things Russia needed to do before it could join. He applauded Putin's reforms, said America was Russia's foremost trading partner, but condemned the export tariffs still in place on Russian goods.

'That is a barrier,' he said, face strained in a frown then snapping into a grin, trying to restore the occasion's bonhomie.