NATO "reexamining" cooperation with Russia

NATO must reconsider whether to continue cooperation with Russia, the U.S. Ambassador to this military alliance says. The cooperation was established after the end of the Cold War, and Kurt Volker now believes it should be reexamined in the wake of Moscow's intervention in Georgia. NATO "reexamining" cooperation with Russia U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called a meeting of NATO's foreign ministers for Tuesday with the Russian intervention and its repercussions on the country's cooperation with the western military alliance on the agenda. Volker in the meantime told Reuters news agency that no decision on the measures to be undertaken has been reached, but that NATO members will consider whether regular meetings of foreign ministers and member-states' ambassadors with Russian officials should be held in the future. Furthermore, expert dialogue on fight against terrorism, trafficking of narcotics and anti-missile defense could also be jeopardized, this U.S. diplomat said, adding that Washington does not wish to confront Russia or to close all forums of dialogue. "We do not wish a negative dynamic in our relations with Russia, we want a development of cooperation. But in order for this to happen, Russia must withdraw from Georgia, respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity and play by the 21st century rules," Volker was quoted as saying. He also commented on yesterday's warning sent from Moscow to Warsaw over Poland's decision to accept to have the U.S. missile shield on its territory by saying that this project is not directed against Russia. "Nobody is threatening Russia and therefore Russia should not threaten anyone," said Volker. Even though Washington has takes such steps as excluding Moscow from the G8 talks on Georgia, and threatened to block its WTO membership, analysts warn that isolating Russia will not work as a sustainable solution, since this country is too important for the United States. A decline of relations to the Cold War level could, among other issues, jeopardize the American policy on the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs, observers have said. "Russia is a bear" Earlier, Volker's Russian counterpart, Dmitry Rogozin, said that "respect of Georgia's territorial integrity will not be possible without equal respect of Serbia's territorial integrity in Kosovo". "One cannot at the same time recognize Kosovo's independence from Serbia and reiterate that Georgia's territorial integrity must be respected as regards South Ossetia and Abkhazia," Rogozin told the press. "Unless they recognize Serbia's territorial integrity in Kosovo, they had better keep silent on Georgia's territorial integrity," the Russian ambassador to NATO was cited. "One cannot act as if nothing happened in South Ossetia - no bombing of civilian population, no massacres of minorities or murders of Russian peacekeepers committed by Tbilisi authorities," Rogozin said. "On the other hand, what NATO did in [former] Yugoslavia including killing civilians, destroying bridges and TV stations, denies it the right to criticize Russia for any present or future action," he continued. "Russia's critics are acting like wolves wanting to eat a lamb, but Russia is not a lamb," Rogozin was quoted. "Russia is a bear," he said.

NATO "reexamining" cooperation with Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called a meeting of NATO's foreign ministers for Tuesday with the Russian intervention and its repercussions on the country's cooperation with the western military alliance on the agenda.

Volker in the meantime told Reuters news agency that no decision on the measures to be undertaken has been reached, but that NATO members will consider whether regular meetings of foreign ministers and member-states' ambassadors with Russian officials should be held in the future.

Furthermore, expert dialogue on fight against terrorism, trafficking of narcotics and anti-missile defense could also be jeopardized, this U.S. diplomat said, adding that Washington does not wish to confront Russia or to close all forums of dialogue.

"We do not wish a negative dynamic in our relations with Russia, we want a development of cooperation. But in order for this to happen, Russia must withdraw from Georgia, respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity and play by the 21st century rules," Volker was quoted as saying.

He also commented on yesterday's warning sent from Moscow to Warsaw over Poland's decision to accept to have the U.S. missile shield on its territory by saying that this project is not directed against Russia.

"Nobody is threatening Russia and therefore Russia should not threaten anyone," said Volker.

Even though Washington has takes such steps as excluding Moscow from the G8 talks on Georgia, and threatened to block its WTO membership, analysts warn that isolating Russia will not work as a sustainable solution, since this country is too important for the United States.

A decline of relations to the Cold War level could, among other issues, jeopardize the American policy on the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs, observers have said.

"Russia is a bear"

Earlier, Volker's Russian counterpart, Dmitry Rogozin, said that "respect of Georgia's territorial integrity will not be possible without equal respect of Serbia's territorial integrity in Kosovo".

"One cannot at the same time recognize Kosovo's independence from Serbia and reiterate that Georgia's territorial integrity must be respected as regards South Ossetia and Abkhazia," Rogozin told the press.

"Unless they recognize Serbia's territorial integrity in Kosovo, they had better keep silent on Georgia's territorial integrity," the Russian ambassador to NATO was cited.

"One cannot act as if nothing happened in South Ossetia - no bombing of civilian population, no massacres of minorities or murders of Russian peacekeepers committed by Tbilisi authorities," Rogozin said.

"On the other hand, what NATO did in [former] Yugoslavia including killing civilians, destroying bridges and TV stations, denies it the right to criticize Russia for any present or future action," he continued.

"Russia's critics are acting like wolves wanting to eat a lamb, but Russia is not a lamb," Rogozin was quoted. "Russia is a bear," he said.