U.S. President George W. Bush gave a lengthy answer to the question concerning American-Russian relations in an interview with German TV networks. "I do not want any escalation of tension [in the relations] with Russia," Bush said. "The U.S. does not perceive Russia as a threat."

Nevertheless, Bush acknowledged the existence of issues over which Washington and Moscow disagree. Sanctions against Iran are one of them. The U.S. president is convinced that the problem has a diplomatic solution. American plans to install elements of the U.S. national missile defense system in  Eastern Europe constitute another
controversial point. Bush keeps saying that the system is not going to be aimed at Russia. 

Igor Neverov, Director of the Department of North America of the Foreign Ministry, told this correspondent about some details of the Russia-U.S. dialogue. Another meeting on national missile defense will take place in Washington later this month. The ideas U.S. State Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested at the talks in Moscow in October will be touched upon at the meeting.

As a matter of fact, Russia is still waiting to receive these ideas in the written form as the protocol demands. "The American visitors suggested some bold and novel ideas at the 2+2 meeting with their Russian counterparts in Moscow," Neverov explained. "Since it
was said at a high level, we need formal proposals... We need them on paper so as to start working with them." The diplomat could not explain why the proposals made at the 2+2 meeting were not been immediately followed by an appropriate document in accordance with the usual practice.

Washington-based media outlets covered these ideas not long ago. The matter concerns an invitation to the Russian military to send its representatives to U.S. national missile defense bases in the Czech Republic and Poland and the promise not to put these bases
on alert status before evaluation of the Iranian missile threat by Washington. Washington made it plain, however, that the decision concerning the gravity of the said threat would be made by it alone.

Diplomatic sources in Moscow point out that in the meantime, Washington itself is split over what Rice and Gates suggested in Moscow, which means that the proposals might become innocuous.

However, Washington's cooperativeness with Moscow in the matter of the World Trade Organization (Russia aspires for membership) is unmistakable. According to Neverov, the United States supports Russia's determination to complete all talks by the end of 2007.
"Their assistance is impressive indeed at this point," the diplomat admitted. He added that the matter was tackled without undue emphasis on politics because the two leaders had reached an agreement on that score.

The Russian-American trade turnover doubled in the last five years and reached $25 billion, the diplomat asserted. Meanwhile, Russian and American scientists and diplomats met in Moscow for a conference titled "200 Years of Russian-American Relations." Their evaluation of bilateral relations echoed that suggested by Bush. "The Cold War is history," U.S. Ambassador William Burns said. "Our diplomatic relations are at a high level."

"Washington and Moscow cooperate within the framework of the UN Security Council on the subject of the majority of global problems," the ambassador continued. "We are strategic partners in many a sphere." Burns advised Moscow and Washington "to develop relations and advance partnership and cooperation."

Nezavisimaya Gazeta