Putin Tells Bush Russia Doesn't Need a Democracy Like Iraq's

[(Alex)]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... A&refer=us

July 15 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President George W. Bush held up Iraq today as a model of democracy for Russia to follow. Russian President Vladimir Putin was quick to say he wasn't interested.

Bush made clear before arriving in St. Petersburg for talks with Putin he would raise concerns Russia was rolling back some of the democratic advances made in the 1990s, a charge Putin firmly denies. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have all spoken out on the issue over the last year.

``I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world like Iraq where there's a free press and free religion,'' Bush told a news conference with Putin after their talks. ``I told him that a lot of people in our country would hope that Russia would do the same thing.''

``We certainly would not want to have the same kind of democracy as they have in Iraq, I will tell you quite honestly,'' Putin shot back.

``Just wait,'' retorted Bush.

Bush said he understood Russian democracy would develop in its own way.

``I don't expect Russia to look like the U.S.,'' Bush said, adding that Putin had shared with him some thoughts on the subject ``that I think would surprise some of our citizens''.

Putin said Russia needs to develop democratic institutions to prosper, ``but certainly, we will do this by ourselves.''

WTO Failure

The two agreed to improve nuclear safety and non- proliferation. They failed to reach a deal on Russia joining the World Trade Organization, extending the former Soviet state's decade-long effort to join the trade body.

Russia is the last major economy outside the 149-nation body, and must reach individual agreements with each member to join. The U.S. is the only country to hold out.

The talks advanced Russia's relationship with the U.S., offsetting disappointments about the WTO and the dispute over democracy, said John Kirton, Director of the Toronto-based G-8 Research Group.

Bush's decision to come early to St. Petersburg, a full day before the summit started for the Group of Eight industrialized nations, was a rejection of ``serious pressure'' from some members of the U.S. Congress who urged Bush to miss the summit altogether out of concern for Russian democracy. The U.S. president could also have adopted a far more adversarial tone, Kirton said.

Putin would be pleased Bush had raised democracy privately before the summit, and that other G-8 leaders probably will do the same, Kirton said.

``The democracy dialogues are largely going to be held before the summit starts to get them out of the way,'' he said.

[old man]

Вероятно он имел ввиду, что ему нужна демократия как в Чечне