Obama, Medvedev meet, Russia pleased with US Chechen move
Obama and Medvedev met in Washington for wide-ranging talks as US targeted Chechen insurgent leader before talks.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed on Thursday to allow U.S. companies to restart exports of poultry to Russia as US targeted Chechen insurgent leader before talks.
Speaking to reporters after talks with his Russian counterpart, Obama said the United States supported Moscow's bid to join the World Trade Organization and both leaders said they hoped to have technical issues that have stymied that effort resolved by the fall.
Chechen insurgent targeted
Meanwhile, The United States on Wednesday said it had listed Chechen insurgent leader as a "terrorist", a step that is likely to please the Kremlin on the eve of talks between Obama and Medvedev.
The State Department said the listing, approved by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, would help to stem the flow of funds to Chechen insurgent leader Doku Umarov, who styles himself the "Emir of the Caucasus Emirate."
"The designation of Umarov is in direct response to the threats posed to United States and Russia," Daniel Benjamin, the Department of State's Coordinator for Counterterrorism, said in a statement.
One of the most populous regions in the mainly Muslim north Caucasus, Chechnya which declared independency after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 but was attacked by Russian forces in two wars since the mid-1990s. Still low-level insurgency continues in Muslim states.
Fries, Twitters and trade
Thursday's meeting was the seventh between Obama and Medvedev and officials on both sides are eager to underscore their "close personal ties."
Obama treated Medvedev to a cheeseburger lunch at a restaurant outside of Washington. The two leaders shared fries. "Probably it's not quite healthy, but it's very tasty, and you feel -- you can feel the spirit of America," Medvedev said of the meal.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=60480
Not sure yet what to make of these old reports.
http://pjmedia.com/blog/chechnya-burns-putin-kills-but-obama-talks-treaty/