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| Version 5 | Version 6 |
|---|---|
| Bush seeks to calm Russian fears | Bush seeks to calm Russian fears |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| US President George W Bush has said Russia has nothing to fear from a missile defence system to be built by the US, partly in eastern Europe. | US President George W Bush has said Russia has nothing to fear from a missile defence system to be built by the US, partly in eastern Europe. |
| Mr Bush said the Cold War was over and Russia was not an enemy of the US. | Mr Bush said the Cold War was over and Russia was not an enemy of the US. |
| The president was speaking during a visit to the Czech Republic, en route to the G8 summit in Germany. | The president was speaking during a visit to the Czech Republic, en route to the G8 summit in Germany. |
| Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to aim weapons at Europe if the shield is set up, in comments seen as reminiscent of Cold War rhetoric. | Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to aim weapons at Europe if the shield is set up, in comments seen as reminiscent of Cold War rhetoric. |
| See map of US missile defence bases | See map of US missile defence bases |
| Washington has dismissed talk of a new Cold War but says the language coming out of the Kremlin has worrying echoes of that era. | Washington has dismissed talk of a new Cold War but says the language coming out of the Kremlin has worrying echoes of that era. |
| Co-operation call | Co-operation call |
| In a news conference with the Czech president and prime minister, Mr Bush said the new system was a "purely defensive measure, aimed not at Russia but at true threats". | In a news conference with the Czech president and prime minister, Mr Bush said the new system was a "purely defensive measure, aimed not at Russia but at true threats". |
| Russia is not our enemy US President George W Bush New discord set to last Q&A: US missile defence Send us your comments | Russia is not our enemy US President George W Bush New discord set to last Q&A: US missile defence Send us your comments |
| Washington wants to deploy interceptor rockets in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic to counter what it describes as a potential threat from "rogue states" such as Iran and North Korea. | Washington wants to deploy interceptor rockets in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic to counter what it describes as a potential threat from "rogue states" such as Iran and North Korea. |
| He said he would invite Russia to cooperate with the US over the system. Mr Bush is expected to meet Mr Putin at the G8 summit in Germany on Wednesday. | He said he would invite Russia to cooperate with the US over the system. Mr Bush is expected to meet Mr Putin at the G8 summit in Germany on Wednesday. |
| "Russia is not our enemy," Mr Bush said. | "Russia is not our enemy," Mr Bush said. |
| "I look forward to having conversations with President Putin. My message will be - you should not fear the missile defence system. | "I look forward to having conversations with President Putin. My message will be - you should not fear the missile defence system. |
| "Why don't you cooperate on the missile defence system? Why don't you participate with the United States? Send your generals over to see how such a system would work, send your scientists." | "Why don't you cooperate on the missile defence system? Why don't you participate with the United States? Send your generals over to see how such a system would work, send your scientists." |
| But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the perceived threat from Iran and North Korea. | But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the perceived threat from Iran and North Korea. |
| "What we all need is to join our efforts to fight real, not hypothetical, threats. And for this work, Russia is ready," he said, quoted by Reuters news agency. | "What we all need is to join our efforts to fight real, not hypothetical, threats. And for this work, Russia is ready," he said, quoted by Reuters news agency. |
| 'Khrushchev rhetoric' | 'Khrushchev rhetoric' |
| On Sunday President Putin said Iran was not a threat to the US, hinting that Russia was the target of the new US system. | On Sunday President Putin said Iran was not a threat to the US, hinting that Russia was the target of the new US system. |
| "If the American nuclear potential grows in European territory, we will have to have new targets in Europe," Mr Putin said. | "If the American nuclear potential grows in European territory, we will have to have new targets in Europe," Mr Putin said. |
| Speaking on the way to Europe, Mr Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said Mr Putin's remarks were "not helpful". | Speaking on the way to Europe, Mr Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said Mr Putin's remarks were "not helpful". |
| The Cold War rhetoric from Moscow may be a welcome diversion from Iraq - but there is little appetite to return to the past BBC reporter's tour diary | |
| Nato spokesman James Appathurai described Mr Putin's words as "unwelcome", while new French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would have "frank" talks with the Russian leader. | Nato spokesman James Appathurai described Mr Putin's words as "unwelcome", while new French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would have "frank" talks with the Russian leader. |
| Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, meanwhile, said Mr Putin's comments were reminiscent of the Cold War rhetoric of Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet leader in the 1950s and 60s. | Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, meanwhile, said Mr Putin's comments were reminiscent of the Cold War rhetoric of Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet leader in the 1950s and 60s. |
| "This is language which has never been used by [Boris] Yeltsin, nor [Mikhail] Gorbachev and not even [Leonid] Brezhnev... This is the language of Khrushchev," he said. | "This is language which has never been used by [Boris] Yeltsin, nor [Mikhail] Gorbachev and not even [Leonid] Brezhnev... This is the language of Khrushchev," he said. |
| Mr Putin's spokesman has since attempted to soothe the row, describing the comment as a "hypothetical" response to a "hypothetical" question. | Mr Putin's spokesman has since attempted to soothe the row, describing the comment as a "hypothetical" response to a "hypothetical" question. |
| Mr Putin issued his warning in an interview with foreign reporters ahead of the G8 meeting in Heiligendamm, Germany, on Wednesday. | Mr Putin issued his warning in an interview with foreign reporters ahead of the G8 meeting in Heiligendamm, Germany, on Wednesday. |
| He hoped US officials would change their minds about the missile plan, and said that if an arms race resulted it would not be Russia's fault. | He hoped US officials would change their minds about the missile plan, and said that if an arms race resulted it would not be Russia's fault. |
| Last week, Moscow announced it had tested a ballistic missile to maintain "strategic balance" in the world. | Last week, Moscow announced it had tested a ballistic missile to maintain "strategic balance" in the world. |
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