Bush, Putin eye World Trade Organization deal [View All]

[MaineDem]

MOSCOW, Russia (AP) -- President Bush, eager for Russian help in ongoing nuclear disputes with North Korea and Iran, tended to the sometimes frosty Washington-Moscow relationship Wednesday by paying a quick call on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Bush stopped to see Putin on his way to Asia for an eight-day trip that includes stays in Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia. The president has bilateral meetings scheduled with several important allies, including Putin, on the sidelines of a summit of Pacific Rim leaders in Hanoi, Vietnam, later this week. But only Putin rated a social call as well.

On Russia's side, relations have been strained by delays in an agreement with Washington for Moscow's entry into the World Trade Organization, a longtime goal.

But the countries now are hopeful that a bilateral pact can be signed in Hanoi, after 12 years of negotiations.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/15/russia.us.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories