Bush plans to raise democracy again with Putin
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-01 09:12

US President Bush will raise again Washington's concerns about the direction of Russia's democracy after tussling over the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, senior U.S. officials said on Monday.

"It's going to be a constant problem because we're serious about this," said a senior Bush administration official. "They understand it. They don't like it, but they understand it."

Bush and Putin met for more than two hours of talks in Bratislava, Slovakia, last Thursday, including more than an hour with only translators present.

U.S. officials were pleased that Putin vowed his country would not return to totalitarianism but are interested in actions.

"It's good to hear but we will nevertheless look to see what they do. We want to cooperate. We want to advance our constructive agenda with Russia wherever we can, but at the same time we have to be very clear about our values," said a senior official.

When Bush complained about restrictions on press freedom in Russia, Putin gave a response that surprised Bush and baffled the Americans.

He said if the press was so free in the United States, why did reporters at CBS News get fired over a story that arose during the presidential campaign, officials said.

CBS News fired four employees in January after an independent report critical of CBS anchor Dan Rather found a "myopic zeal" led the network to disregard basic journalism principles when it aired a faulty story on Bush's military service record.

A senior U.S. official said other Russian officials raised the same issue during the day and noted a Russian journalist at the Bush-Putin news conference had asked about journalists fired in the United States. This led to suspicions that the question had been orchestrated by the Kremlin.

The view that Bush somehow had something to do with the CBS firings was "divorced from reality," the U.S. official said.

Bush and Putin have several more opportunities to meet this year, starting when Bush goes to Moscow in early May to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. They will both be at a Group of Eight summit in Scotland this summer as well.

The meeting in Slovakia came amid concern in the West that Putin is backsliding on democracy, with critics saying his tough policies toward opponents have curbed true democracy.

U.S. officials dismissed Putin's defense of his decision to end direct election of provincial governors. He had said the Russian substitute is like America's Electoral College that elects presidents.

Another senior administration official said Bush will continue to discuss press freedoms and other areas of concern as well as mutual cooperation.

"We will focus on broadening and deepening the levels of contact so more members of President Putin's circle of advisors understand our views and thinking about areas of mutual concern," the official said.