President Bush Welcomed in Croatia Following NATO Summit
By VOA News
04 April 2008
Croatian President Stipe Mesic has welcomed U.S. President George W. Bush, a day after the NATO summit in Bucharest invited Croatia and Albania to begin membership talks.
Mr. Bush arrived in Zagreb earlier Friday after NATO leaders concluded the summit and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr. Putin later told a Bucharest news conference he was pleased with the discussions. He said there can be no return to the Cold War and welcomed what he called recent U.S. willingness to listen to his country's concerns about American plans to deploy an anti-missile defense system in central Europe. But he again criticized continued NATO expansion, particularly any movement toward Russia's borders.
Earlier Friday, NATO leaders met with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. Thursday, the leaders said Ukraine and Georgia are not yet ready to start the alliance entry process, but stressed that both countries are clearly on their way to membership.
Mr. Yushchenko called this a historic event for his country and its people.
Mr. Putin will host Mr. Bush Sunday at the Black Sea resort of Sochi for talks expected to focus on the U.S. anti-missile defense plans, which won summit backing Thursday.
Russia strongly opposes the system as a threat to its security.
The United States says the planned system is aimed at protecting Europe from an attack from the Middle East.
Earlier in the day, NATO and Russia signed a transit deal allowing the shipment of non-lethal freight across Russian territory to alliance forces in Afghanistan.
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