Raisa Gorbachev Declines Offer by Barbara Bush to Meet in Italy

First Lady Barbara Bush invited Raisa Gorbachev to meet with her in Florence, Italy, this weekend while their husbands are holding a summit meeting in the Mediterranean, but the Soviet First Lady had to decline, it was revealed Wednesday.

Aides said Mrs. Bush wrote to Mrs. Gorbachev suggesting that it “would be a nice thing for them to get together” in Italy during the Dec. 2-3 meeting between President Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev off Malta.

But friends said that Mrs. Gorbachev responded with “a very warm and friendly letter,” explaining that, because her husband is leaving Italy after the Gorbachevs’ current state visit to Rome, she did not feel it was appropriate for her to stay on in the country.

Mrs. Bush is remaining in Washington when the President flies to Malta on Thursday evening.

“She wishes them all well,” said Anna Perez, the First Lady’s press secretary.

Next spring or summer, the Bushes will host a summit meeting with Gorbachev in the United States, and the two women are expected to renew their acquaintance then. They have met on a couple of occasions previously.