New York Times - 12.07.2001

 

New York Times

Gingerly, NATO Plans Broader Role for Moscow

By PATRICK E. TYLER

RUSSELS, Dec. 6 — The 19 nations of NATO pledged today to build a closer relationship with Russia. They also acknowledged that the alliance must undergo a significant transformation because terrorism — and fear of it — had undermined conventional military doctrine and the preparedness of forces to fight unconventional enemies.

With reports circulating of a split over how deeply Moscow should be allowed into NATO's decision-making, foreign ministers abandoned their previous arrangements for consulting with Russia and promised to bring its leaders into the innermost councils in a number of situations, including the fight against terror.

But the allies made little progress on the details of cooperation ahead of meetings on Friday with the Russian foreign minister, Igor S. Ivanov.

"We are pleased that Russia stands with us in the struggle against terrorism," the ministers said in a communiqué, "and we believe this will contribute significantly to our common goal of a strong, stable and enduring NATO-Russia partnership."

The new Danish foreign minister, Per Stig Moeller, said in an interview that a number of members feared that a broad embrace of Russia might give Moscow veto authority over key decisions, especially on the sensitive issue of enlargement.

In 1998 Russia strongly opposed the first wave of expansion toward its borders with the inclusion of Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. In November 2002, NATO heads of state are to meet in Prague and decide whether nine more nations, including the three Baltic states, once Soviet republics, will join, a step Moscow also opposes.

"They cannot get a veto about enlargement," Mr. Moeller said. Referring to a proposed council of 20 nations — 19 NATO members plus Russia — he added, "Enlargement will not be decided there."

In their initial formulation today, the ministers agreed to expand their cooperation with Moscow on counterterrorism "and other areas, including nonproliferation, export control and arms-control matters, arms transparency and confidence-building measures, missile defense, search and rescue at sea and military-to-military cooperation."

But the secretary general, Lord Robertson, said at a news conference that the alliance would "retain our prerogative to undertake independent action."

He added that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia "knows this and, of course, accepts it." Last month, however, when he was in Moscow, Lord Robertson suggested the question of Russia's veto power was open for discussion, causing a strong reaction in Brussels that apparently led the alliance to clarify its position.

The task of more precisely defining a role for the NATO-Russia Council was put off until May.

Mr. Ivanov, on his way here, was quoted as saying Russia should become an "equal partner" in a new era of threats and cooperation. "NATO, its aims and tasks have to change to meet the present conditions," he said in remarks quoted by the Russian news agency Interfax.

Also today, the NATO ministers carefully skirted the issue of whether the United States should go forward with a broad missile defense system even if it did not reach an agreement with Russia on amending the Antiballistic Missile Treaty of 1972.

In their communiqué, the ministers stressed the "importance of abiding by and strengthening existing multilateral nonproliferation and export control regimes and international arms control and disarmament accords."

At the same time, they agreed that NATO "must have the capability to defend" itself against weapons of mass destruction and "their means of delivery." In this context, the ministers said, "the role that missile defense could play is being actively considered as we continue our consultations with the United States."

Mr. Moeller of Denmark, speaking broadly for the European members, said, "Our hope, of course, is that the United States gets an agreement with Russia."

Lord Robertson touched on the challenge to the alliance posed by the Sept. 11 attacks, when NATO agreed — for the first time — to activate a clause in its charter by which members regard an attack on one member as an attack on all.

Since then, however, the United States and to a lesser extent Britain have prosecuted the war in Afghanistan, relegating other NATO forces to supporting roles.

Lord Robertson said NATO had to re-examine its structure: its readiness to deal with sneak attacks, to develop new weapons and new ways of protecting armed forces, and to focus on prevention so "terrorists will not dream of using these techniques they used on Sept. 11."

With terrorists becoming more inventive, "then we have got to be similarly inventive and similarly visionary in the way we tackle problems," he said.