Russian-American Summit Begins At White House

A Russian-American summit has begun in the Oval Office of the White House, the residence of the US president. Negotiations are being held in a narrow format. Present on the Russian side are Security Council Secretary Vladimir Rushailo and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. And on the American side there are US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Colin Powell. Negotiations in a wider format will follow later. Before the meeting the Russian president, replying to questions from Russian journalists, said that he had conveyed personal condolences to the US president over Monday's crash of an A-300 passenger jet in New York. The US president noted that he was glad to welcome the Russian leader and his wife on American soil. Putin said he was much impressed by flower patterns around the White House.