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Summit a success, says Putin

SAINT PETERSBURG May 25. The U.S. President, George W. Bush, focussed on tourism instead of terrorism today as his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, declared their landmark summit in Russia a total success.

Mr. Bush and his wife Laura kicked off the second leg of their Russia trip by flying to the former Tsarist capital of Saint Petersburg, where they visited the world-famous Hermitage arts museum with Mr. Putin and his wife Lyudmila.

"All the goals of the U.S. President's visit to Russia have been achieved," Mr. Putin said as the Presidential party toured the Hermitage, built by Catherine the Great. Speaking a day after the two leaders inked a landmark disarmament treaty in Moscow ushering in a "new era" of U.S.-Russian relations, Mr. Putin said he "and all our experts are satisfied with the results of the summit on all the issues of Russian-U.S. relations."

Mr. Bush and Mr. Putin then held a question and answer session with students at Saint Petersburg's university before seeing a performance of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" ballet at the city's Marinsky (formerly Kirov) theatre. However, the two leaders still found time in the packed sightseeing programme to discuss the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.The informal meeting with the university students in Mr. Putin's native city mirrored a similar session the two Presidents held at near Mr. Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, last November.

— AFP

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