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Leaders heal Iraq divide
01/06/2003 11:11 - (SA)
Moscow - US President George W Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin have held their first meeting since their split over the war on Iraq, Sky News reported on Sunday.
The US and Russian presidents were trying to rebuild ties following their divisions over military action against Saddam Hussein.
They met at the grand Konstantinovsky Palace, in Putin's native city of St Petersburg.
American officials said the summit was primarily a trust-building exercise aimed at rebuilding ties between former allies in a global war on terror.
Russia was strongly opposed to the US and UK-led war on Iraq.
Before the talks, Putin and his wife Lyudmila greeted Bush and his wife Laura at the entrance of the palace.
The Russian leader gave the couple a brief tour of the tsarist palace, which was rebuilt for Saint Petersburg's 300th anniversary celebrations.
Shortly before the talks began, a top Kremlin official voiced hope that the summit would prove "constructive" and help "stability and security in the whole world".
Bush is in St Petersburg along with 40 world leaders to celebrate the city's 300th anniversary.
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