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Date Posted: 05:52:04 03/05/09 Thu
Author: pastor lewis
Subject: Nato to resume Russian contacts


Nato to resume Russian contacts
Nato ministers have agreed to resume high-level contacts with Russia, making what US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called a "fresh start".

Relations conducted through the Nato-Russia Council had been frozen by Nato in protest at the brief war last summer between Russia and Georgia.

Mrs Clinton said areas of mutual concern included Afghanistan.

But UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband told the BBC that it was not "business as usual" with Moscow

Mrs Clinton added that Nato must leave open the door to membership for Georgia and fellow ex-Soviet state Ukraine.

Earlier, Russia's envoy to Nato defended the war against Georgia and said any new relationship with Nato would be on Moscow's own terms.


“ Our Western colleagues saw in Russia a partner that one cannot wipe one's feet on ”
Dmitry Rogozin
Russia's permanent envoy to Nato
Nato remains the central pillar of the trans-Atlantic relationship but it is facing a critical military and political challenge in Afghanistan, where failure could call into question its whole credibility, BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus reports from Brussels.

US foreign policy is now very much a team game and US Vice-President Joe Biden will be in Brussels next Tuesday for a more detailed exchange of views on Afghanistan, our correspondent adds.

'Hardheaded' approach

"It's time to explore a fresh start," Mrs Clinton said.


“ Today's visit may be dominated by... Russia but Afghanistan remains the trickiest subject ”
Mark Mardell, BBC Europe Editor

"We can and must find ways to work constructively with Russia where we share areas of common interest, including helping the people of Afghanistan."

"We should continue to open Nato's door to European countries such as Georgia and Ukraine and help them meet Nato standards," she added.


Mr Miliband said the resumption of ties would provide an opportunity to engage with Moscow "in a hardheaded way".

He said "the invasion of Georgia and continuing infringement of its sovereignty" could not be "swept under the carpet".

Earlier, Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that areas of common interest included Afghanistan, counter-terrorism and non-proliferation.

Some, like Germany and France, had long been pressing for the resumption of ties, arguing that their suspension has been counter-productive.

'Our terms'

Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's permanent envoy to Nato, predicted an outcome of the Brussels talks "that should, on the whole, satisfy Russia" but made clear he saw Moscow negotiating from a position of strength.

"We came out of the crisis that we had after the August 2008 events [the war with Georgia], the crisis in the South Caucasus, stronger," he told Russian channel Vesti TV.

"Our Western colleagues saw in Russia a partner that one cannot wipe one's feet on. We are strong... and we are restoring cooperation, including on our terms."

Nato will, nonetheless, be trying to show that more normal business with Russia does not mean that the alliance is abandoning countries like Georgia and Ukraine, our correspondent says. Their foreign ministers will be in Brussels too.

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