The nuclear agreements reached at a meeting between the US and
Russian leaders and their failure to iron out differences on how to
tackle escalating Mideast violence and on a trade deal reflect the
complexity of the bilateral relations.
Following talks in St. Petersburg, the presidents of the United
States and Russia announced an agreement on cooperation in nuclear
energy and another on launching a joint initiative to combat
nuclear terrorism.
The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism calls on
countries to improve accounting, control and physical protection of
nuclear material and radioactive substances as well as the security
of nuclear facilities, and prevent acts of nuclear terrorism.
Both sides also committed themselves to strengthening the global
non-proliferation regime, and the two leaders agreed on the
creation of international centers for uranium enrichment and
reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.
Russia could reap big economic gains from a potential agreement
on storing spent nuclear fuel, analysts said.
US President George W. Bush, in the town for the annual Group of
Eight summit that opened on Saturday, and his Russian counterpart
Vladimir Putin met amid a recent flare-up in violence in the Middle
East. Both leaders urged a halt to the violence.
But the two differed sharply on who was to blame for the
escalation of tensions between Israel and Lebanon, with Bush
blaming Hezbollah and Putin stressing that the use of force should
be balanced and should stop.
Israel has stepped up air raids on Lebanese targets and
blockaded Lebanese sea ports following a cross-border attack by
Hezbollah guerillas during which two Israeli soldiers were
kidnapped and eight killed.
Russia and the United States are members of the so-called
international Quartet mediating for peace in the Middle East. The
Quartet also includes the United Nations and the European
Union.
The two sides also failed to cap Russia's longtime bid for
membership in the World Trade Organization with a deal which was to
be announced by the two leaders.
Bush said the deal is "almost reached," but more work needs to
be done.
In frantic talks in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia agreed to
allow US insurance companies access to its market.
The United States reportedly dropped a demand that foreign banks
be allowed to open directly-owned branches in Russia, but wanted
more Russian concessions on Boeing plane orders and access for US
companies to the Shtokman oil fields.
The United States remains the last hurdle to Russia's WTO
accession bid.
The Washington Post quoted Dmitri Trenin, an expert at
the Carnegie Moscow Center, as saying that the failure to clinch
the deal would be seen in the Kremlin as a major blow.
"They hoped, people within the government, that the US would do
that and I think they feel disappointed," he said.
Russia-US relations dipped following US Vice president Dick
Cheney's recent remarks that Moscow was using energy "as tools of
blackmail and intimidation" of neighboring countries.
A Russian international relations expert said the recent
downturn in Russia-US ties resulted not only from differences over
strategic interests but also from a re-emergence of ideological
differences.
But at the St. Petersburg meeting, Bush said he did not want to
lecture Putin on democracy, and Putin said he would welcome
discussions on democracy "in a friendly and fair way."
For all their differences, the United States and Russia share
common interests in fighting terrorism and safeguarding the
non-proliferation regime. And on issues like the Iranian nuclear
program and the Middle East peace process, the United States is
also wooing Russia for support, analysts said.
(Xinhua News Agency July 17, 2006)
