US, Russia show unity but Mideast row looms at G8

The United States and Russia put on a show of co-operation yesterday ahead of a big-power summit which will struggle to forge common positions on rising violence in the Middle East, on Iran and on trade.

US President George W. Bush and Russia's Vladimir Putin jointly resurrected an old proposal for averting nuclear terrorism and espoused a plan to halt the spread of atomic arms, in a display of harmony as Group of Eight leaders gathered.

But the rising death toll from Israel's offensive in southern Lebanon and Islamic militant group Hizbollah's rocket attacks on northern Israel forced its way onto the summit agenda, exposing divisions among the world's richest states.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has called on Israel to avoid civilian casualties but has refused to tell it to halt its offensive, which G8 partner France and the European Union have called disproportionate.

At a joint news conference with Putin Bush blamed the violence on Hizbollah guerrillas. The Kremlin leader agreed but asked for a "balanced" response from Israeli forces. On Iran the summit appeared certain to struggle for a common position with host-nation Russia opposing - for the time being - any talk of UN sanctions against the Islamic republic over its nuclear programmes.

Bush said he had common ground with Putin on Iran, though the Kremlin leader sidestepped a question on sanctions. Some hope persists world leaders will send a signal of willingness to abandon fiercely-held negotiating positions, thereby ending a deadlock on global trade talks.

Bush avoided a public spat over Putin's record on democracy which has been criticised by others in the US administration.

The pair revived an old idea of combatting the global threat of nuclear terrorism with measures to control nuclear material.

And Bush backed a Russian plan aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons by setting up international enrichment centres under the International Atomic Energy Agency's control. The formal summit agenda was supposed to be topped by agreement to foster security of energy supplies.