Close Look at World Problems

President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin will sit down and have a few heart-to-hearts this weekend about Iraq's future, Russia's aid to Iran's nuclear program, combating terrorism, the Middle East and weapons of mass destruction. The two leaders were spending Friday evening and much of Saturday at Camp David, the secluded presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains northwest of Washington. "The president believes this is an opportunity to continue to focus on ways to broaden cooperation between the United States and Russia, as we work in partnership to address shared challenges," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Friday. Putin arrived a half-hour late on a sunny fall afternoon. A column of Navy sailors and Marines greeted the two presidents, who walked to face a phalanx of reporters. The two presidents then shook hands with a small group of aides, including White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov. Ahead of the meeting, Putin visited the New York Stock Exchange. He said he hoped for "a breakthrough in our business partnership," even while criticizing U.S. trade restrictions that are vestiges of the Cold War.