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CNN Saturday Morning News
Bush, Putin to Wrap up Weekend Summit Today
Aired September 27, 2003 - 07:28 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.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin are due to wrap up their weekend summit today. Many topics are on the agenda. But right at the top, Iraq and Iran.
Our Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty, joins us with an update. Good morning, Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Sean.
Well, you know, back in the run-up to the war, obviously Vladimir Putin thought it was a mistake, and he said he was opposed to the war, so you'd have to ask yourself, Why is he being invited to Camp David, where only the friends of the president usually show up/
Well, it's because the relationship is important, and also, a lot of times, the U.S. officials don't really all -- completely understand where policy is coming from in Russia. So the chance for both leaders to sit down directly face to face is very, very important.
Friday night, they did have a chance, one on one, to sit there and discuss things. And today, Saturday, the kind of expanded group, their officials from both sides, will be joining the discussions.
But the whole idea of this is as informal as possible, no protocol, nothing like that, but a chance for personal contact.
Now, on the subjects that they are going to be discussing, Iraq obviously number one, because the U.S. wants Russia to contribute in some fashion to the postwar situation in Iraq. They'll be discussing a sticking point in the relationship, Iran, and that nuclear power plant that the Russians are building for the Iranians that the United States says could give them the technology to build a bomb.
Also, Mideast, obviously both parts -- both countries are part of the peace -- the road map, and what -- trying to salvage that. They'll be looking at economics, especially the proposal from both sides to increase the oil and gas that Russia is sending and selling to the United States. A lot of interest Mr. Putin has in that.
You also have Chechnya. That's another sticking point, that breakaway republic. And a lot of criticism directed toward Mr. Putin for human rights violations. That probably -- undoubtedly will come up.
And then finally, another subject that never really made it to discussions like these but now is, and that's AIDS, the growth of HIV and AIDS in Russia right now is the fastest-growing in the world in the former Soviet Union.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 27, 2003 - 07:28 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin are due to wrap up their weekend summit today. Many topics are on the agenda. But right at the top, Iraq and Iran.
Our Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty, joins us with an update. Good morning, Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Sean.
Well, you know, back in the run-up to the war, obviously Vladimir Putin thought it was a mistake, and he said he was opposed to the war, so you'd have to ask yourself, Why is he being invited to Camp David, where only the friends of the president usually show up/
Well, it's because the relationship is important, and also, a lot of times, the U.S. officials don't really all -- completely understand where policy is coming from in Russia. So the chance for both leaders to sit down directly face to face is very, very important.
Friday night, they did have a chance, one on one, to sit there and discuss things. And today, Saturday, the kind of expanded group, their officials from both sides, will be joining the discussions.
But the whole idea of this is as informal as possible, no protocol, nothing like that, but a chance for personal contact.
Now, on the subjects that they are going to be discussing, Iraq obviously number one, because the U.S. wants Russia to contribute in some fashion to the postwar situation in Iraq. They'll be discussing a sticking point in the relationship, Iran, and that nuclear power plant that the Russians are building for the Iranians that the United States says could give them the technology to build a bomb.
Also, Mideast, obviously both parts -- both countries are part of the peace -- the road map, and what -- trying to salvage that. They'll be looking at economics, especially the proposal from both sides to increase the oil and gas that Russia is sending and selling to the United States. A lot of interest Mr. Putin has in that.
You also have Chechnya. That's another sticking point, that breakaway republic. And a lot of criticism directed toward Mr. Putin for human rights violations. That probably -- undoubtedly will come up.
And then finally, another subject that never really made it to discussions like these but now is, and that's AIDS, the growth of HIV and AIDS in Russia right now is the fastest-growing in the world in the former Soviet Union.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
