The latest: President Bush threw the NATO summit meeting off-script Wednesday, setting the stage for a contentious three-day summit in Bucharest, Romania, with his public disagreement with allies Germany and France over how close a relationship the organization should have with Ukraine and Georgia.
The dispute: Bush's position -- that Ukraine and Georgia should be welcomed into a Membership Action Plan, which prepares nations for membership -- contradicted German and French government positions.
Bush's take: Bush said he was prepared to argue his case at Wednesday's dinner of NATO leaders before a decision is made today. The path to membership "would send a signal throughout the region" -- read Russia -- "that these two nations are, and will remain, sovereign and independent states," he said.
Allies' stand: Germany and France believe that since neither Ukraine nor Georgia is stable enough to enter the program now, a membership plan would be an unnecessary offense to Russia. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom officials described as upset, has had numerous talks with Bush about the issue. She had thought that a compromise was in the works.
The compromise plan: It was that Washington would support a warm statement welcoming the interest of Ukraine and Georgia in NATO and encouraging them to work toward a plan for NATO's 60th anniversary summit next year in Berlin.
Russia's response: Senior diplomats said Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to cancel his planned first visit to the NATO meeting on Friday if the two former Soviet states enter the membership program.
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