Sharm El-Sheik (Egypt): US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has met with her Russian counterpart as they sought to ease escalating tensions in the waning weeks of the Bush administration.
In what may be one of her last such sessions with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as the chief US diplomat, Rice yesterday hosted Lavrov at her hotel in this Egyptian Red Sea resort for an 80-minute discussion that the State Department described as "good and productive."
Despite the length of the private meeting, there was no sign either side had budged on its position on the most contentious issues, notably missile defense, arms control and Russia s war with Georgia.
Neither Rice nor Lavrov made any public comment after the meeting, which also covered efforts to deal with Iran and North Korea s nuclear programs, according to department spokesman Sean McCormack.
"They talked about the broad range of issues in the relationship in the context of the Sochi declaration," McCormack said, referring to a document signed this year by Bush and then-Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Black Sea resort.
The declaration acknowledges the former Cold War foes will have disagreements on various issues but pledges that the two countries will work together in areas where cooperation is possible and in their interests.
Yet that principle has been challenged in recent months as Russia, under new President Dmitry Medvedev, has accelerated aggressive stances with the invasion of Georgia in August and just this past week with a blistering critique of US missile defense plans for Europe.
