A replica of the Sochi area with the future facilities was shown to the Bushes. Tkachev and Chernyshenko made the explanations. Bush noted the future press centre and said it seemed to be the biggest building, adding that it should be.

Laura Bush noticed a river and a skiing resort of the same name, Laura, and pointed this out to her husband. Chernyshenko said Putin would ski sometimes at the resort. Bush asked, smilingly, why was the resort named after his wife. Tkachev and Chernyshenko admitted they had never thought about this before. But Putin said, jokingly, “Specially for you.”

The Russian president then pointed to one of the ships on the replica, saying to Bush, “This is the yacht where you will live when you come for the Olympic Games.”

Bush said he was impressed by what he had seen and heard during the meeting, and Chernyshenko noted, “We are very much supported by our president.”

“Now one more president supports you,” Putin added with a smile.

After the meeting, Putin and Bush posed with the others for photographers against the background of the Olympic rings.

Putin invited the Bushes to take a stroll on the shore before the dinner. George and Laura Bush, accompanied by Putin, then walked to the pier to enjoy the sunset. After that they headed for the dinner where President-Elect Dmitry Medvedev is expected to join them.

It will not be the first meeting between Bush and Medvedev. As Kremlin deputy chief of staff Medvedev took part in top-level Russian-U.S. talks during Putin’s visit to America in 2001. Putin and he were invited to a dinner at Bush’s ranch in Crawford in Texas. Later, in February 2002, Medvedev, who was the Kremlin chief of staff at that time, he met with Bush in Washington.

In March, Bush telephoned Medvedev to congratulate him on the victory in the presidential election. The U.S. president confirmed his commitment to joint and constructive work in the remaining time of his term.

“Both sides expressed determination to continue the tradition of mutual trustful, honest and open communication between Bush and Putin and was of paramount importance for the development of Russia-American relations,” Medvedev’s secretariat said, adding that Bush and Medvedev agreed to maintain contacts on a regular basis”.

Most of the talks between Putin and Bush will take place on Sunday.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley will also take part in the talks.

The Russian delegation will include Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Prikhodko.

Sochi greeted Bush with warm and sunny weather. No special decorations have been placed in the streets of the city for his visit. No any protests have been registered. City authorities have only asked the residents to refrain from using cars this weekend and apologised in advance for possible traffic delays because of the visit.

Putin and Bush have maintained working contact since thee start of their presidencies eight years ago. “There have been 23 personal meetings as part of bilateral and multilateral formats since 2001, let alone communication by telephone and correspondence,” Prikhodko said earlier.

The two leaders last met at the APEC summit in Sydney, Australia, in September 2007.

“Putin will receive the U.S. president at his residence, on his ‘home’ territory in return for the hospitality the Russian president was given when he visited Bush's family estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, in July 2007, Prikhodko said.

In Kennebunkport, Putin together with the 41st and the 43rd U.S. presidents went fishing. Later, the Russian president said he had invited his companions to repeat such an informal meeting in Russia. We agreed to go fishing somewhere on Siberian rivers. So, Putin and Bush may be meeting for the last time in Sochi as presidents but not as private citizens.

SOCHI, April 5 (Itar-Tass)