NATO suspicious of Russian security pact idea
PHILIPPA RUNNER
29.07.2008 @ 09:28 CET
Russia's presentation of plans for a new "Treaty on European Security" at a NATO gathering on Monday (28 July) met with suspicion it might undermine existing alliances, with Moscow to return to the topic in September.
"European and American politicians express their concerns and preoccupations that the Russians are putting forward this initiative to weaken NATO or the OSCE," Russia's NATO ambassador, Dmitry Rogozin, told Reuters.
NATO: the Russian presentation was short on details (Photo: NATO)
"These fears we can only laugh at - they are not serious," he added, after the regular session of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels. "It does not intend to undermine the existing structures and institutions of security."
Speaking to state-sponsored broadcaster NTV Mir in Moscow, Mr Rogozin explained that "What we suggest is a sort of reloading of our relations [with NATO] because on many matters our contacts have reached a definite dead end."
During the interview, NTV Mir's own correspondent showed hostility to the western alliance by referring to it by the Soviet-era term "likeliest potential enemy" and calling it "this morally obsolete organization."
The Russian idea - raised by president Dmitry Medvedev in recent speeches and at last month's EU-Russia summit - envisages a new pan-European security pact of non-aggression and cooperation on terrorism and immigration.
The legally-binding treaty would be negotiated at a major international summit organised by Moscow and could embrace NATO, the OSCE and non-European states like Canada, India and China as junior members.
US, British and eastern European NATO envoys probed Mr Rogozin on how the new pact would work in practice and its legal compatibility with existing international clubs, but the Russian diplomat was short on answers, IHT reports.
"Rogozin did not go into any detail on president Medvedev's proposals," a NATO spokesman said. "The ambassadors asked a number of fundamental questions, which [he] promised to deal with in more detail in September."
EU defence 'out of date'
One Russian idea - that European defence is based on an old Cold War-era model - was also voiced in a report by NGO the European Council on Foreign Relations out Tuesday, which advocates a "multi-speed" EU defence policy.
Writing in a comment for EUobserver, the study's author, Nick Witney, says pro-active EU states should join up on research or peacekeeping projects, leaving behind sceptics such as Austria, Bulgaria, Greece and Ireland.
"[EU top diplomat] Javier Solana has often been reduced to phoning defence ministers in person to secure a single transport plane or field surgeon," for previous EU missions, Mr Witney said.