M A I N   N E W S

Bush, Putin agree to extensive talks

Brdo Castle (Slovenia), June 16
The US President, Mr George W. Bush, said today that he and Russia’s Vladimir Putin agreed to launch an “extensive dialogue” on a wide range of subjects and to visit each other’s countries.

The first-ever summit between Mr Bush and Mr Putin ended after about two and three quarter hours of talks.

Mr Bush and Mr Putin went for a relaxed walk in the sunshine during their first face-to-face summit in Slovenia.

The two leaders, chatting animatedly, took a stroll on the grounds of Brdo Castle, north of the Slovene capital Ljubljana, during a break in their scheduled two-hour summit, TV pictures showed.

Earlier, the two men appeared relaxed despite the diplomatic clouds shadowing their summit, mainly due to their differences on NATO expansion and US missile defence. AFP