Surrounded by American flags in a White House room ringing with applause, President Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev put their summit into the history books Friday and set the stage for further superpower breakthroughs.
The two leaders initialed an agreement that will lead to a treaty to cut the long-range nuclear arsenals of both countries by 30 percent and signed an accord to slash their horde of chemical weapons by 80 percent.Gorbachev said he thought the so-called Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), delayed by eight years of superpower sparring, could now be signed by the end of the year.
And in a move that caught many by surprise, Bush gave Gorbachev a treaty to expand trade between the two countries that could bolster the Soviet leader's prestige back home at a time when it is dramatically slumping.
But Bush denied Gorbachev what he really wanted on trade - most-favored-nation trade status - until the Soviet Union passes a law allowing free emigration.
And Secretary of State James Baker said the trade treaty itself will not be sent to Congress for ratification until Moscow passes the emigration law.
But in a toast to Bush at a dinner at the Soviet Embassy, Gorbachev said he was satisfied with the treaty.
"This agreement takes on special relevance since it has been concluded at a time of dramatic change of direction in the Soviet economy, which is crucial for the future of perestroika (restructuring).
"I am convinced that the Soviet people will appreciate the fact that the president of the United States is signing this agreement to normalize Soviet-American commercial relations at this moment of special