*EPF403 10/24/2002
White House Report, October 24: Russia
(Press Secretary Ari Fleischer briefed) (210)

BUSH EXPRESSES SUPPORT TO PUTIN IN HOSTAGE SITUATION

President Bush phoned Russia's President Vladimir Putin October 24 "to express America's support for Russia" in its efforts to end the holding by Chechen rebels of hundreds of hostages at a theater in Moscow.

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said Bush told Putin that "this is a time of solidarity between the United States and Russia" and that the United States was prepared to help Russia with whatever assistance it needed.

Asked if the hostage situation in Moscow was terrorism-related, Fleischer replied, "It's clearly terrorists."

Fleischer briefed reporters early October 24 on Air Force One as they accompanied the President on a day trip to North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama, where Bush campaigned for Republican candidates in the forthcoming national elections.

President Bush was scheduled to end the day at his ranch outside Crawford, Texas, where he is to meet October 25 with China's President Jiang Zemin before leaving October 26 for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, being held this year in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Fleischer said Putin informed Bush that the hostage situation in Moscow would prevent the Russian president from attending the APEC meeting this weekend. Bush had planned to hold a bilateral luncheon meeting with Putin there.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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