WorldView

Russian President-Elect Vladimir Putin Visits Britain

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANDRIA HALL, CNN ANCHOR: Russian president-elect Vladimir Putin is in Britain, where he is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Tony Blair and several business leaders. His trip also will include a visit with Queen Elizabeth II.

CNN's Richard Blystone reports Mr. Putin's first visit to the West since his election is fraught with importance for both countries.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD BLYSTONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher invited Mikhail Gorbachev to Britain in 1984, she wanted to know, and she found out...

"The Communist Party chief," she said, "is a man we can do business with."

Since then East-West relations have changed out of all recognition, but the question is the same. Arriving in London Sunday, a Russian president with good health, a big mandate, and an agreeable parliament, and a fresh present from lawmakers to display to the West: ratification of the Start II nuclear arms reduction treaty, passed by the state Duma Friday.

But with conditions: the U.S. must not build more anti-missile defenses until Washington and Moscow can find a compromise on modifying the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. And, the weapons cuts aren't pure altruism.

OKSANA ANTONENKO, INTL. INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: Russia wants to see more deeper reductions in strategic weapons because of its own financial constraints and the technical constraints, because the Russian nuclear weapons are aging.

BLYSTONE: Does that make Vladimir Putin, the enigmatic ex-KGB agent, a man the West can do business with? What about the sometimes belligerent talk? Restrictions on press freedom? What about the human rights violations in Chechnya?

Prime Minister Tony Blair was the first Western leader to make personal contact, just before Russia's March elections. Blair said he saw no contradiction between Mr. Putin wanting Russia to be strong and orderly and wanting it to be democratic and liberal. While official Britain's keenness on intervening in Kosovo has not been matched by its position toward Russia over Chechnya atrocities, there are plenty of voices here who think that's wrong.

MARIANA KATZAROVA, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: There is a big responsibility on the British government to send a very strong message to Mr. Putin that what is happening in Chechnya at the moment, massive human rights violations, it's not acceptable. That all perpetrators of human rights violations has to be punished. They have to be punished by an international independent commission of inquiry.

BLYSTONE: Mr. Putin has said he sees Russia's future with Europe, and Europe, although criticizing the Chechnya campaign, is planning a European Union-Russia summit. The visit ends at Windsor Castle, a chat with Queen Elizabeth, who's learned how to size up dozens of international leaders over her half-century on the throne.

Richard Blystone, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com