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CNN Live At Daybreak

Bush and Putin Sign Major Nuclear Arms Reduction Treaty

Aired May 24, 2002 - 06:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a major nuclear arms reduction treaty just about an hour ago in a ceremony seen live right here on CNN.

But another nuclear issue also took focus in the news conference that followed the signing. CNN Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty is covering Mr. Bush's trip to Russia.

Good morning, Jill.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.

Well, it was a dramatic setting, the Katherine Hall of the Kremlin and dramatic words coming from President George W. Bush. He called it a new era of relations, an historic and hopeful day.

The two leaders as expected signed two agreements. One, an arms control agreement that cuts nuclear warheads by two-thirds over the next 10 years. They also signed another agreement, a broader one that deals with a broad strategic relationship between Russia and the United States.

Then came the questions and answers. One question from a reporter to President Bush: Why in this new era of relations do you need 1,700 warheads filled pointing at each other? President Bush said, Well, you have to remember where we came from.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Who knows what future presidents will say and how they react. If you have a nuclear arsenal, you want to make sure they work. And so, one reason that you keep weapons in storage apart from launchers is for quality control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: So the real fireworks, however, came over another issue, and that is Iran. The United States claims and charges that Russia, by building a nuclear power plant in Iran, is actually helping their nuclear program.

Now, President Bush just as when he was asked about that said that President Putin understands this issue, and that he, too, President Putin, worries about Iran. But when Mr. Putin answered that question, he turned the issue on its head.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIA: I'd like to point out that cooperation between Iran and Russia is not of a character which would undermine the process of nonproliferation. Our cooperation is exclusively as regards to the energy sector focused on the problems of economic nature.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: So President Putin also added that Russia has proof that actually some of this technology has come from the West. And he added, there are other countries that the world should be worrying about, and specifically he named Korea and Taiwan.

So obviously, Carol, in the midst of all of this, and albeit an agreement, an important agreement on arms control, there are still some issues that separate the two sides.

COSTELLO: They seemed to be talking in circles quite a bit during their press conference today.

Jill Dougherty reporting live from Moscow, thank you.

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