Chris Doss The Russia Journal ------------------
Financial Times (UK) 13 April 2002 Nato and Russia seeking closer relationship By James Blitz in Rome and Judy Dempsey in Brussels
Russia and Nato are to hold a summit next month to pave the way towards a closer relationship between Moscow and the US-led military alliance, Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's prime minister, announced last night.
He said an accord would be signed at the summit at the end of May under which there would be closer co-operation between Nato and Russia over international issues and regional crises.
Following a series of telephone conversations yesterday with President George W. Bush and President Vladmir Putin, Mr Berlusconi hosted a press conference in Rome at which he said that Nato would create a new decision-making body comprising the 19 Nato member states and Russia.
He said Russia would now be a member of the new Nato body "with equal rights to all other countries".
The White House confirmed that a Nato-Russia summit would indeed take place in Italy in May and that the idea was supported by Mr Putin. However, Nato officials in Brussels insist all the details for forging a new relationship between the military alliance and Russia have still to be worked out.
"There is, as yet, no agreement, but there had been great progress," said one official.
Diplomats from Russia and Nato have been working for some time on a plan under which the current Permanent Joint Council, which consists of regular meetings between Nato's 19 ambassadors and Russia, would be superceded by a new council.
It would give Russia a greater say and more equal status with Nato countries. However, both Nato members and the Pentagon in particular have been insistent that Russia should not have a veto over any military or security matters directly related to the alliance. "It is out of the question," said a Nato diplomat.
Mr Berlusconi's role in the negotiations between Nato and Russia goes back to last year's G8 summit in Genoa, where his aides say that he first mooted the idea of closer co-operation between Russia and Nato. Aides to the Italian premier say an informal decision to create the new body was taken last week at a summit in the Russian city of Sochi between Mr Berlusconi and Mr Putin, where both leaders discussed the issue by telephone with Mr Bush.
Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, and Igor Ivanov, his Russian counterpart, said in Madrid this week that both sides wanted the new relationship to be ready by a summit of Nato foreign ministers in Reykjavik, scheduled for May 17. A week later, Mr Bush and Mr Putin will hold a summit in St Petersburg.