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New York Times May 2, 2002 Editorial A Russian Role in NATO NATO versus Russia defined the cold-war military division of Europe. Now Moscow and the West are working their way toward a new relationship better described as NATO plus Russia. A productive partnership between the Kremlin and the West's premier military alliance could powerfully reinforce President Vladimir Putin's efforts to reorient Russia's foreign policy toward the United States and Europe. Negotiators from both sides are preparing a plan to be presented to NATO foreign ministers and then a summit meeting of NATO and Russian leaders in late May. It defines several areas where Russia and NATO can begin cooperating right away while safeguarding NATO's freedom to act on its own. Russia is not yet ready for full military integration with NATO. This kind of halfway arrangement makes sense as an interim step. Past attempts at cooperation have been too timid and have fallen short. During NATO's efforts to head off civil war in Macedonia last year, Russia rightly felt it should have been involved in discussions at an earlier stage. The procedure until now has been for NATO members to work out positions on all issues without Moscow at the table and then present fixed decisions to the Russian delegates. The new arrangement will let Russia participate in full discussions on a broad range of issues including coping with terrorism, managing regional crises, peacekeeping, missile defense and search-and-rescue operations at sea. These discussions could lead to collaborative military projects like joint training, shared peacekeeping missions and information exchanges on conventional and unconventional weapons. What matters more than the specific items on the initial list is the commitment of both sides to make this limited partnership work. If that is present, the list can be expanded. Until now, Moscow's drive for cooperation with the West has come mainly from Mr. Putin, with cabinet members and military officers sometimes hesitantly following. Joint deliberation, planning and military exercises with NATO can widen support for Mr. Putin's pro-Western policies. It might also make Moscow's generals more comfortable with NATO's eastward expansion and Western military action in areas traditionally influenced by Russia, like the Balkans and Central Asia. ******* --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
