The canals of St. Petersburg

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The canals of St. Petersburg

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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – From the many waterways that weave through St. Petersburg, the views of this grand city are soaring.

Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender,'' was playing on the small open motor-launch that we boarded this morning, followed by Beatles classics – though it then occurred to me that the 1960s probably were not prime time for this city laid out by a czar. Occasional signs of Soviet architecture – the unmistakable box and windows – appear among the countless ornamental structures of old along the canals.

STRELNA, Russia – President Bush, resisting calls for a cease-fire in the explosive conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants, is gaining support from other world leaders here in saying that the "root cause'' of the conflict must first be addressed – Hezbollah's determination to disrupt any peace in the region.

And in targeting Hezbollah as the cause of the conflict, Bush and fellow leaders increasingly are pointing toward the responsibility that Syria and Iran bear for their support of the militant organization based in Lebanon