November 16, 2001	Friday	Shaba'an 29, 1422

CRAWFORD (Texas) Nov 15: President George W. Bush said on Thursday he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had failed to resolve differences over US aims to deploy a missile defence system, as their three-day summit drew to a close.

“We have a difference of opinion,” Bush said in a response to a student’s question during an appearance with Putin at a Crawford High School. “Our disagreements will not divide us.”

Putin said the summit had not been a waste of time and the two leaders aimed to continue discussions, building on what he said was common ground in a shared belief that new-style security threats must be addressed.

Putin also said at the briefing he expected Russia’s economy to grow at a rate close to 6 percent this year.

On the last day of their summit, President George W. Bush treats Russian President Vladimir Putin to a taste of rural America on Thursday with a tour of his ranch and a visit to a high school.

“I want to show him some of my favourite spots on the ranch,” Bush said.

The three-day summit, their fourth since June, was wrapping up on Thursday with no apparent sign of a deal settling their differences over Bush’s desire to scrap the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and Putin’s insistence that it remains an essential arms control priority.

Bush sees the 1972 treaty as outdated and wants to get rid of it in order to pursue a missile defence system that the accord forbids. There has been talk of a compromise that would allow US testing while keeping the treaty intact.

But US officials said no agreement was likely.

After breakfast on Thursday, Bush will give Putin a tour of his 1,600-acre (647-hectare) ranch. Bush’s Prairie Chapel ranch is the one place the Secret Service allows the president to drive and he planned to show Putin what he loves most about the place.

Amid the dun-coloured sea of grass are stands of spreading oak, sycamore and pecan, broad savanna and seven shallow canyons, their dramatic twists and turns carved by water.

“I’m thrilled to be here,” Bush told reporters as he sat behind the wheel of a Ford pickup truck and drove Putin and his wife Lyudmila to their guest house.

A thunderstorm prevented Bush from conducting more than a brief tour on Wednesday. But the pouring rain did not stop a traditional Texas barbecue in the evening. Texas is typically dry and this area has been hit by drought in recent years.

“Anytime it rains in Texas it enhances the dinner,” Bush said.

Bush and the first-ever foreign visitor to his ranch dined on mesquite-smoked beef tenderloin, southern fried catfish and other Texas dishes, with the twang of the Texas Ranch Hands getting the guests in a down-home mood.

The two leaders in their dinner toast had warm words of praise for each other.

Putin noted that it was the first time he had ever visited the home of a world leader. “It’s hugely symbolic to me and my country that it’s the home of the president of the United States,” Putin said.

The party had a festive air and the guests celebrated the 47th birthday of Bush’s national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. She was presented with a white chocolate cake in the shape of a baby grand piano, reflecting her skills as a classical pianist. National Security Council aide Dan Fried taught Rice how to do a Texas polka dance called the Cotton-Eyed Joe.

Bush interrupted the festivities to appear before reporters to hail the rescue by US forces, with help from the International Red Cross, of eight Western aid workers held for months by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush hoped to use Putin’s visit to create a positive atmosphere for future relations.

“Out of these small conversations, out of these informal settings comes a very strong way for leaders to develop powerful, good relations to build upon the relations between nation states,” he said.

After the tour, the two leaders are to go to Crawford High School to make remarks and take questions from an audience including students and local citizens.—Reuters