Obama seizes agenda on world stage

LONDON | President Obama met for the first time Wednesday with the leaders of Russia and China - the two countries with the greatest ability to help or hurt U.S. strategic and economic objectives - and came away with an ambitious agenda for nuclear disarmament and economic cooperation.

With Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Mr. Obama pledged to seek a new treaty slashing nuclear weapons and to work on issues ranging from Iran and North Korea interactions to developing clean energy and getting Russia into the World Trade Organization.

Mr. Obama accepted Mr. Medvedev’s invitation to go to Moscow in July, when the two sides hope to have made substantial progress on a replacement of the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), due to expire in December.

U.S. and Russian officials said the aim is to reduce deployed nuclear warheads to about 1,500 each from the current limit of 2,200.

In a meeting later with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Mr. Obama and Mr. Hu agreed to “intensify coordination and cooperation on global economic and financial issues.”

They said they would establish a strategic and economic dialogue, hold the first meeting in Washington this summer, cooperate on counterterrorism and nonproliferation measures and broaden military-to-military ties.

Mr. Obama’s busy day — on his first overseas trip as president — also included meetings with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Queen Elizabeth II.

The diplomacy took place against a backdrop of protests in central London. About 4,000 protesters marched on the Bank of England to vent their fury at capitalism, bankers and the British government in advance of a meeting of 20 world economic powers.

Violence erupted when a mob stormed a Royal Bank of Scotland building, which had been closed for the day. Protesters smashed windows with metal poles and hurled computers into the street. Slogans such as “burn the banker” and “scum” were scrawled on the walls. The London Metropolitan Police said 32 people were arrested.

But most of the protesters campaigned with good humor. A group of teenage girls danced to a brass band as they held aloft an effigy of a suited banker, a mock noose around its neck. “Eat the banker,” read the banner, next to a bloodied, severed hand made of plastic.

The biggest achievement of the day for Mr. Obama was the meeting with Mr. Medvedev, after weeks of preparation, including visits to Moscow by senior U.S. officials who presented the Russian leader with a letter from the U.S. president.

The two leaders on Wednesday issued a far-reaching communique that promised a “fresh start” to U.S.-Russia relations.

“Over the last several years I think the relationship between our two countries has been allowed to drift,” Mr. Obama said after the meeting. “And what I believe we´ve begun today is a very constructive dialogue which will allow us to work on issues of mutual interest like the reduction of nuclear weapons and the strengthening of our nonproliferation treaties.”

Mr. Medvedev, who has been prickly at times about U.S.-Russia ties, was also upbeat.

“After this meeting, I look at the future of our relations with optimism,” he said.

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