Bush arrives in Moscow for landmark talks

Speaking in Berlin, U.S. president calls for stronger NATO

Bush is greeted by an honor guard at a welcoming ceremony in Russia on Thursday.

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush arrived in Moscow Thursday for talks during which he and Russian President Vladimir Putin will sign an arms agreement that over 10 years reduces by two thirds the nuclear weaponry of both countries.

In a speech German Bundestag in Berlin earlier in the day, Bush had said the landmark nuclear reduction treaty would rid "ourselves of the last vestiges of Cold War confrontation."

"Many generations have looked at Russia with alarm. Our generation can finally lift this shadow from Europe by embracing the friendship of a new democratic Russia," Bush said.

"President Putin and I are about to sign the most dramatic nuclear arms reduction in history."

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Bush said the events of September 11 were the start of a new era for the United States, as the attack on Pearl Harbor had been.

"Our generation faces new and grave threats to liberty, to the safety of our people and to civilization itself," he said, adding the West will be in danger if it ignores the threat of terror.

Bush said a foundation must be laid with a Europe "at peace for the first time in history."

"By remaining united, we are meeting modern threats with the greatest resources of wealth and will ever assembled by free nations.

"Europe and the United States have the creative genius, the economic power, the moral heritage and the democratic vision to protect our liberty and to advance our cause of peace."

He said the "expansion of NATO will also extend the security" in Europe.

"As it faces new threats, NATO needs a new strategy and new capabilities. Dangers originating far from Europe can now strike at Europe's heart, so NATO must be able and willing to act whenever threats emerge.

"This will require all the assets of modern defense: mobile and deployable forces, sophisticated special operations, the ability to fight under the threat of chemical and biological weapons."

Bush also said the Russian people need "to find their future" in Europe and with America.

"Russia has its best chance since 1917 to become a part of Europe's family," Bush said. "Russia's transformation is not finished; the outcome is not yet determined.

"But for all the problems and challenges, Russia is moving toward freedom, more freedom in its politics and its markets, freedom that will help Russia to act as a great and just power."

Closing the door on the Cold War

The Friday ceremony will mark the fifth time Bush and Putin have met, but the first time in Moscow.

The nuclear reduction pact will cut each nation's existing store of roughly 5,000 to 6,000 warheads by about 65 percent over the next decade. The resulting number of warheads held by each country would range from 1,700 to 2,200.

Senior Bush administration officials have said the treaty will enable the United States and Russia to enter into a new strategic relationship and to move away from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which the Bush administration has said was an antiquated Cold War agreement that did not allow for modern contingencies.

According to senior Bush administration officials, the United States initially wanted the nuclear reduction pact to be an executive agreement, rather than a treaty. However, Russia fought to have the deal codified as a treaty and the United States eventually agreed.

The treaty will have to go before the U.S. Senate and Russian Duma to be ratified.

Bush: No war plans regarding Iraq

Earlier, in a news conference with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Bush said that while he has no "war plans" regarding Iraq, it poses a "threat" to the West because of its capacity to deliver weapons of mass destruction via a ballistic missile.

"And it's dangerous to think of a scenario in which a country like Iraq would team up with an al Qaeda-type organization," the president said.

"I have no war plans on my desk," Bush said. "We've got to use all means at our disposal to deal with Saddam Hussein."

His statements were in answer to a question about the United States' plans regarding Iraq and heightened concerns voiced throughout the world about the war on terror.

Bush also said he has "great confidence in the CIA and FBI" to investigate terrorism and said communication between the U.S. agencies has never been better, a reference to domestic criticism that intelligence agencies failed to tell one another about terror warnings they received before September 11.

He said he thinks congressional intelligence committees should be the place where any investigations are conducted of pre-September 11 events.

Bush and Schroeder said they discussed the war on terror, Iraq, the Middle East, the India-Pakistan conflict, and weapons of mass destruction.

Regarding the Middle East, the president said "both of us agree" that there should be two states -- Israel and a Palestinian state.

"The positive news is many Arab leaders understand they have got to be part of the process now," said Bush. "They must be a party to the process. I'm pleased to report that they are now."

Bush, who arrived in Berlin Wednesday, met with President Johannes Rau at his elegant official residence, the 18th century Bellevue Palace, Thursday morning.

Schroeder and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer were on hand to greet the president, accompanied by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

After his meeting with Rau, Bush left Bellevue for the Chancellery and a longer meeting with Schroeder.

Protesters greet Bush in Berlin

Thousands of protesters marked the first stop of his weeklong European tour with spirited anti-U.S. demonstrations on the streets of Berlin.

An estimated 20,000 protesters clashed with riot police overnight, holding rallies to protest U.S. policies in the war on terrorism, the Mideast conflict and other global issues. Police used water cannons to disperse the crowd

Germans and other Europeans have complained that the United States too often has acted without adequately consulting them in diplomatic, military and trade policies.

Other possible issues on the agenda during the Bush visit were the European Union's opposition to Bush efforts to protect domestic steel, and the possibility that the EU, Japan and other countries may impose tariffs on U.S. steel.