In the name of the United States and President Bush I want to thank the Mexican people President Fox and his government for their friendship.

I would like to raise my glass to friendship between Russia and the United States.

And we want to develop our strategy to partnership and friendship with the United States which is connected with a very rich history but what is very important for our future.

It will give them the opportunity to show themselves worthy of the respect and friendship of peace-loving nations and in time to take an honorable place among members of the United Nations.

On one side citizens have great respect for the United States they have a great feeling of friendship. That is solid. But in the opposition and in the political arena I often find criticism of the closeness of relations with the United States. That is a reality.

The United States is a giant island of freedom achievement wealth and prosperity in a world hostile to our values.

Jazz is about freedom within discipline. Usually a dictatorship like in Russia and Germany will prevent jazz from being played because it just seemed to represent freedom democracy and the United States.

But in the first Gulf war the United Kingdom was not under any threat from Iraq and is still less so in the second one. Then there is no justification for obstructing freedom of information particularly as nations have a right to know what their soldiers are being used for.

I mean there's enormous pressures to harmonize freedom of speech legislation and transparency legislation around the world - within the E.U. between China and the United States. Which way is it going to go? It's hard to see.

The Vietnamese people deeply love independence freedom and peace. But in the face of United States aggression they have risen up united as one man.