World Leaders Seek Harmony After Iraq War

Sunday, June 1, 2003
(5:15 PM)
By Terence Hunt
Associated Press Writer

Putin and Bush held a reconciliation meeting earlier Sunday in St. Petersburg, Russia, where they celebrated ratification of a major nuclear arms agreement and proclaimed their close friendship. “Strange as it may sound,” Putin said, the United States and Russia have even strengthened ties - a point that Bush was happy to echo. “We will show the world that friends can disagree, move beyond disagreement and work in a very constructive and important way to maintain the peace,” Bush said.

EVIAN, France -- AP
World leaders clamped a harmonious face on a summit simmering with Iraq war disputes Sunday, striking a united front with pledges of billions of dollars to fight AIDS and hunger in poor nations.

The meeting's most closely watched moment was the welcoming handshake between French President Jacques Chirac and President Bush, whose wartime differences led to angry recriminations on both sides of the Atlantic. They greeted each other with polite smiles, a brief handshake and small talk before walking into a luncheon with other presidents and prime ministers.

Chirac, at a news conference later, praised Bush for getting Congress to pass a $15 billion package to combat AIDS in the developing world.

“Bush took a decision in this area that I would not hesitate to call historic,” Chirac said. He said France would triple its AIDS spending, to about $179 million, and European Union officials said the 15 member nations are expected to commit about $1.2 billion in new funds at a summit in Greece later this month.
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Dan