Bush says Russia 'not our enemy'

PRAGUE: President George W Bush insisted on Tuesday that Russia had nothing to fear from a planned US missile shield in Central Europe, and invited Moscow's sceptical military brass to inspect the system.

"Russia is not our enemy," Bush said in Prague as he sought to defuse an escalating row with Moscow which has threatened to retaliate if the proposed deployment of the shield in the Czech Republic and Poland goes ahead.

Speaking on the eve of the 8 summit in Germany where he will sit across the table from Vladimir Putin, Bush said he wanted to reassure the Russian president that the anti-missile umbrella was a purely defensive measure "aimed not at Russia but at true threats".

"The Cold War is over. It ended," Bush said, adding that he was willing to let Russian military officials inspect the anti-missile proposals.

"Why not send your generals over to see how such a system would work. Send your scientists, let us have the ability to discuss this issue in an open forum," he said.

The US-Russian rift over the missile system, with Putin threatening to aim missiles at Europe if the plans go ahead, risks souring the annual G8 talks in northern German seaside resort of Heiligendamm.

Bush was expected to fuel Moscow's ire with a speech in Prague later Tuesday that will underscore the need for democratic reforms in Russia in the face of what Washington sees as Putin's increasingly authoritarian leadership.

However, Bush stressed that he sought "positive relations" with Russia.

"It is a complex relationship no doubt, but there are areas where we can work together to deal with common threats."