Bush Calls Gorbachev ‘Remarkable Man’

President Bush, in his first speech since the superpower summit, today praised President Mikhail S. Gorbachev as “a remarkable man” helping to usher in a new era in U.S.-Soviet relations.

Bush made the remarks at a Republican luncheon here for Gov. Tommy Thompson on the first stop of a four-state Midwestern swing by the President to raise money for GOP candidates.

Calling it “a very productive Washington summit,” Bush ran down a list of arms and trade agreements that he and Gorbachev signed. He said even on the tough issues that the summit did not solve, such as German membership in NATO and the future of the Baltic states, they made progress with the candor of their discussions.

“Of course we have differences. . . . I want to see Lithuania have its freedom. We are committed to self-determination for the Baltic states. Although I . . . am pleased that the emigration of Soviet Jews is at an all-time high, I want to see unfettered emigration,” he said.

“We have differences on Cuba and, for now, on a united Germany in NATO and on many other issues as well,” added Bush.

“But as I chatted informally with President Gorbachev at Camp David, I kept thinking that this new Soviet leader, committed to reform and openness, is indeed a remarkable man,” he said.

He praised the Soviet leader “for the forthright spirit in which he addressed every issue on the table, and I take it as proof that we have indeed entered a new era in our relations with the Soviet Union.”