NATO to restore ties with Russia

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — NATO agreed after an intense internal debate Thursday to restore normal relations with Russia seven months after it froze ties in response to Moscow’s invasion of Georgia.

Seeking to reassure the newer members of NATO, such as the former Soviet republic of Lithuania, that the move did not signal a weakening of allied resolve, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said there would be no avoiding, or backing down from, disputes with Moscow.

“The United States will not recognize any nation having a sphere of influence over any other nation,” Clinton told a news conference at NATO headquarters. She was referring to Moscow’s assertion that it has a historic role and leading voice in the region — a position that many East Europeans as well as the Obama administration view as an illegitimate claim to domination of the area.

Still, there was a general consensus that avoiding communication with Moscow meant a lost opportunity to resolve, or better address, areas of disagreement.

“Russia is an important player, a global player, and that means that not talking to them is not an option,” NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told a news conference, at which he announced the decision made by NATO foreign ministers.

It was a step forward for the Obama administration, which is seeking to establish a broad, positive relationship with Russia after years of tensions. Clinton, in her NATO debut, argued in favor of restoring relations by reviving the NATO-Russia Council, a forum created in 2002 to strengthen ties with Moscow, which is not a NATO member.

In her remarks to the NATO meeting, Clinton said the time had come “to explore a fresh start” with Moscow, according to a text released by her staff.

“We can and must find ways to work constructively with Russia where we share areas of common interest, including helping the people of Afghanistan, arms control and nonproliferation, counter- piracy and counter-narcotics and addressing the threats posed by Iran and North Korea,” she said.

Russian officials immediately welcomed the decision to resume ties.

“We need to get down to business fast to ensure stability and security in Afghanistan,” said Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s envoy to NATO. Russia had already demonstrated its willingness to help the war effort by arranging for the first overland transport of supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan, he added.

De Hoop Scheffer said there was a NATO consensus that Russia must deal forthrightly with issues of concern to alliance members.

He said NATO continued to strongly disagree with a number of Moscow’s actions, including its recognition of the independence of Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The revived NATO-Russia Council would be a forum where such issues could be discussed, he said.