finally there are a lot of finally there are a lot of questions about mosco i was in st. petersburg out week ago and two days later, putin blew off negotiations, i think raises these questions from all parties within his own government, which was caught off guard by the decision to enter into the arrangements with coptics on -- thanks very much. >> on the tradition of a think tank, i want to focus my comments on the second day maybe after the time when president obama meets with putin. this involved in organizing what is a parallel summit that will happen on the second day. it will begin on the first day out we think senior representatives will be on the second day. this is a different kind of meeting. we have 75 russian american experts coming together. they have been coming together with russians and we have colleagues from be affordable housing field, the civil rights field and trying to close guantanamo and detention. we have not infectious disease specialists. we have working journalists coming together with russian journalists talking about the media. typically over

presence ithe region, but analts stress that doesn't mean mosco wnts america to fa inafghanistan. a victorious taban could threaten russia's borders. instead, mosc sees the u.s. as a competitor in a sategically imrtant region in its own backrd. >> translato central asia is ch in raw material like atural gas and oil. thatakes the whole region interesting. at's why russia, china, and themericans are competing f influence here >> rorter: for now, analysts say the conflictin afghanist takes precedence. both u.s. and russi want secuty in the region. but if and when that'achieved that competiti wil heat up more tn ever. > the pentagon told us today therwas one emergency fu dumping incident over kyrgyzstan in 08. but that "evarated before it hit the groundnd caused no ha to the environment." >>> there are new signs today thateace talks between israel and syria might resume soon. the turkish pme ministe who left for metings in syria today, said that he's gotten requests to media new netiations. syriacut off earlier in protest talks to protest the invasn of gaza. >>> and now to udi arabia,

presence in the region, but analysts stress that doesn't mean mosco wants america to fail in afghanistan. a victorious taliban could threaten russia's borders. instead, moscow sees the u.s. as a competitor in a strategically important region in its own backyard. >> translator: central asia is rich in raw materials, like natural gas and oil. that makes the whole region interesting. that's why russia, china, and the americans are competing for influence here. >> reporter: for now, analysts say the conflict in afghanistan takes precedence. both u.s. and russia want security in the region. but if and when that's achieved that competition will heat up more than ever. >> the pentagon told us today there was one emergency fuel dumping incident over kyrgyzstan in 2008. but that "evaporated before it hit the ground and caused no harm to the environment." >>> there are new signs today that peace talks between israel and syria might resume soon. the turkish prime minister, who left for meetings in syria today, said that he's gotten requests to mediate new negotiations. syria cut off earlier in prot

>> earlier in the day, the president and michelle obama visited the tomb of the unknown soldier in mosco. both leaders were es and compliments and russian president dimitri medvedev as he put it, close some of the pages of the past. >> translator: the talks that we had today were only the first, but a very step in improving full-scale cooperation between our two countries. these are the benefits of both states and if both countries win, then everybody wins. >> but the friendly words couldn't conceal the many challenges of the relationship between the two former cold war adversaries. the u.s. and russia had been at odds over an antimissile system proposed by the former bush administration, which would based in poland and the czech republic. the president said today, the matter's still under review. the two nations have also clashed over last summer's war in georgia. the president remains in russia until wednesday, when he travels to italy for a g-8 summit meeting. >>> and now to our "blogwatch" tonight, we're beginning to hear from two russians commenting on the obama/medvedev summit meet

let's go n now to follow up on e all-importantt meeting in mosco today. william cohen joioining us from washgton. mr. . secretar thanks so muc let't's talk aut what w was achieved. th're talking about -- welell, they're talkining i moow about just beginning to negegotiate me arms reductions, butut on of th more interestiting issues ththas brought t is th prpresiden obama seemeded to beaking a shot at vladimir putin, ththe pme minister, in an intnterview on iday. putin then s struck back over t weekend. a lot analysts are saaying this was not a aood stt foror this new u.s./russian relationshipip to ta a crack at puputin, who clearly is o one oe major pow brokers, i nothe majojor powe broker. this is what h hpened the ne conference tododayat the krlin when the p psident was asked whs in charge here. let's ask. >> mynderstanding is that president medvedev is the presidident. prime ministerer tin is the pre minister. and they alocate powow in accoance with rusa's form o of govevement ithe same way that we allocatee power i the united states. so minterest is i

but the president is in mosco so who minding t store. >> i'm going to watch myself. i've got my ears on and hear smoky coming up. the oof of what a critical week this is for health care. chief staff, rahm emanuel, always where the aion is, he's not in moscow, lookg at critical changes in alth care. next week or so, wee going to know, arehe dominoes ing to fall the president's wa or not. in the house ey are doing somethinunusual. they are havinghree committee chairman present tir bills, ke questions about ithen the whip, jim clyburn, six listenin sectnsith members these are handling ssions. joe will appreciate thi e idea is to do all the wheeli, dealing, horse trang before you put o the fil bill. so theare sitting within regional grups, hearing what eir gres are, heing what they want and need in the bi. so when they put out a bll towards the end of this week, it's kind of going to be what it's going to be. >> mike, that's quite a chage from tm printint abi like the stimulus bill or cap and trade and shoving it down every's throat bor they t a chance to read it. why ar

predent of russia welcomed president oba this morning for a breakfast meeting at his estate outside mosco prime minister vladir putin served as present until last year, en his chosen successor, dmitri medvyedev, was elecd. today, putin ske of improving relations with thenited states. but he also acknledged complex ansometimes difficult disputes. >> ( translated ): there re periods when r relations floushed quite a bit and there were also riods of, shall we say, grayish mood between ou two countries a of stagnation. with you we link all our hop for the furthance of relations between our two countries. > ifill: president obama sa lasteek that putin, who was for years a b officer had "one foot in the old ways of doi business." putin respond, saying his feet were "planted in the ture, as is everne in russia." mr. oba offered a more nciliatory assessment this morning. >> i'm aware ofot only the extordinary work that you've done on balf of the russian peoplen your previous role as prime minister as prident, but in yr current role as prime minister. we thinkhere's an excellent opportuni to put u

in mosco spoke with her a little whil ago. did theu.s.et what it wanted and expected on as control? >> warner: judy, they ddn't get quite as low numbe as they'd hope in term of reducing long-range missiles an their launchs. but we're td that as of last -- late last week they had no firm agreement on evennnouncing y targets. and tat president obama talk to preside meddev on t phone andthat's how they evenot these nubers. which are roughly about a 30% cut in missil and -- no, i think 25% in miiles and 30%in launcher presint obama did come here with the white hoe hoping that in his one-on-one with president medvedev he wld be able to persde president dvedev to drop the numbers ev lower. that did not happen. butll inll i would say that the u.s. side is pleased with the commitment and plased alsowithhe relatnship that seems to haveeveloped in negotiations. and they strsed to us that the first start treaty took nine years to negotie. so really that the proling res theye made just in a few months is quite remarkable. woodruff: and what about on

and i've sn nothingthat's happen so farn mosco this first day that suggests otherwis >> rose: so whatoes this president have tdo to allay or at lea speak to these russian concerns and/or fears. >> one thing: stop the expanse of nato toward georgia and ukraine. at's it. dohat and everythg we want we get. >> rose: pking up onhat and talking about ur time in moscow a the journalist you talked to in moscow who are reporting on divisions and where you think th count going and what they need in order to be asred to move forward, claire. >>ell, i thinktephen's exactly right. and i would ad one other thing that..you know, to scrap any ea about a msile defense system in poland and czecslovakia. i thinboth of those things-- that and the nato expansion-- have pre-occupied russia in a way thate just did not understand in th country. and i thin there'seen a misreadi for almost a decade ofhat russia needed. there is a huge psychological component to dealing with russia as a fallen empire. and i don't think veryany of our leadersave gotten it right. almost since rald rgan in me ways. d i thinkhat barac

we're now taking the pition, the ings that the russis care abo we have said before obama nded in mosco are not on the negotiating table. what's there to talkabout? d the other thing, and ts is where the drama goes back to your putin queson. who in the world-- andhus it s a slip-- told president obama to speak negatively o putin on h way to moscow they gave him bad aice. >> rose: the administtion's titude, as much as you kno om all the people that y talk to in washingn, how they vied this and their attitude towards first russia second medvedev and third putin. >> i think that the administration understands that ssia is important. and i think tt the very fact that they're tking about needing to reset this relationship and that this trip ca ahead of a trip to china, for example, heartening. and i thi it shows that the know lot of wor needs to be done. ani do this that if anybody can listen to all of... all sides and all of the difrent things tha he ll hr and take it in and do somethingith it, it is probly barack obama. heill be good at listening t putin. he's going to see gorbachev, too a