La Reunión (II)

Ya puedo ofreceros dos enfoques generales sobre el encuentro Chirac- Schröder- Putin- Zapatero.

Punto de vista asiático servido desde Asianews, pero con los contenidos de la AFP (agencia francesa de prensa):

According to Chirac’s office, the purpose of the informal talks is to «hold out the hand of friendship to Putin to encourage him down the road of political and economic reforms.»

However the meeting risked raising hackles elsewhere in Europe — notably Poland and the Baltics — where any Franco-German effort to dominate EU relations with Russia would be strongly opposed.

The pretext of the encounter is to further the three-way alliance between Putin, Chirac and Schroeder that was triggered by their opposition to the Iraq war two years ago. Zapatero was added to the group at the invitation of Chirac, who sees the Spanish prime minister as a new ally in the European Union.

A spokesman for Zapatero said the three European leaders could raise the thorny issue of Chechnya with Putin, in the wake of the killing earlier this month of rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov by Russian forces.

But any mention of the conflict in the breakaway republic would be made in a discreet way, with Chirac’s office simply restating that France has always urged a political solution to the fighting.

Punto de vista ruso, vía RIA Novosti:

According to diplomatic sources, the presidents will discuss economic issues, including cooperation in construction of a medium-range passenger airliner, the opening of a Renault factory in Moscow with subsequent customs duties reduction on deliveries of components and assembling units for the factory, participation of French investors in the development of a Russian fuel and energy complex and the simplification of the licensing process for Russian airplanes operating in the EU.

The quadripartite negotiations of Putin, Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero are scheduled for the second half of the day in the Elysee Palace.

This is the first time the meeting will be held in loose format, with no definite agenda and no scheduled signing of any official documents.

Por lo leído, a los rusos les ha dejado bastante fríos que Zapatero se siente a cenar con Putin.