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Clinton to attend key Nato talks Key Nato talks focused on Russia
(about 3 hours later)
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is participating in her first meeting with her Nato counterparts since the Obama administration took office. Nato foreign ministers have opened their first meeting since Barack Obama took office as US president, and ties with Russia are topping the agenda.
Relations with Russia and Afghanistan will be the key items on the agenda for the gathering in Brussels. Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer called on ministers to acknowledge common security interests with Moscow.
This is an opportunity for Mrs Clinton to introduce herself as the alliance prepares for a crucial summit in France and Germany at the start of next month. The ministers are expected to back the resumption of formal ties, frozen since the war between Russia and Georgia.
Nato remains the central pillar of the trans-Atlantic relationship. Russia's envoy to Nato defended the war and said any new relationship with Nato would be on Moscow's own terms.
But as its 60th birthday summit approaches, it is facing a critical military and political challenge in Afghanistan, where failure could call into question Nato's whole credibility. Hillary Clinton is in Brussels for what is her first formal meeting with Nato counterparts as US secretary of state.
As the new Obama administration conducts its own Afghan policy review, the secretary of state will be eager to hear the opinions of her Nato counterparts. This is an opportunity for Mrs Clinton to introduce herself as the alliance prepares for a crucial summit in France and Germany at the start of next month, BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus reports from Brussels.
But US foreign policy is now very much a team game and US Vice-President Joe Biden will be in Brussels next Tuesday for a more detailed exchange of views on Afghanistan. Our Western colleagues saw in Russia a partner that one cannot wipe one's feet on Dmitry Rogozin Russia's permanent envoy to Nato
Crucial role Nato remains the central pillar of the trans-Atlantic relationship but it is facing a critical military and political challenge in Afghanistan, where failure could call into question its whole credibility, our correspondent says.
It is Russia, though. that will dominate much of Thursday's discussions. US foreign policy is now very much a team game and US Vice-President Joe Biden will be in Brussels next Tuesday for a more detailed exchange of views on Afghanistan, our correspondent adds.
Nato foreign ministers are expected to give a green light to the resumption of high-level ties with Moscow, curtailed after the Russian invasion of Georgia. 'A positive agenda'
Nato will, nonetheless, be trying to show that more normal business with Russia does not mean that the alliance is abandoning countries like Georgia and Ukraine. Their foreign ministers will be here too. In his opening remarks, Mr Scheffer stressed the importance to the alliance of relations with Russia:
But Moscow can no longer be ignored. Any Nato decision must be backed by all 26 of its members
Russia can play a crucial role in opening up new supply routes into Afghanistan. "I think we need to reflect on a positive agenda that befits the importance of Nato and Russia to European and indeed global security.
And these may prove invaluable as the US puts in more troops and the security of existing supply lines through Pakistan becomes more uncertain. "While not shying away at all from the serious differences of opinion that remain between Nato and Russia, in particular about Georgia, we also acknowledge that we have obvious common interests with Russia: Afghanistan is one, but counter-terrorism and the fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are others."
UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband called for the resumption of formal ties with Russia through the Nato-Russia council.
"Russia needs the West as much as the West needs to re-engage with Russia," he said.
Some, like Germany and France, have long been pressing for the resumption of ties, arguing that their suspension has been counter-productive.
"We will not block because there are lots of issues Nato and Russia need to co-operate on, like transit to Afghanistan, Iran, the Middle East, non-proliferation," said Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet.
However, his Lithuanian counterpart, Vygaudas Usackas, said he believed it was "premature to open the formal dialogue".
'Our terms'
Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's permanent envoy to Nato, predicted an outcome of the Brussels talks "that should, on the whole, satisfy Russia" but made clear he saw Moscow negotiating from a position of strength.
"We came out of the crisis that we had after the August 2008 events [the war with Georgia], the crisis in the South Caucasus, stronger," he told Russian channel Vesti TV.
"Our Western colleagues saw in Russia a partner that one cannot wipe one's feet on. We are strong... and we are restoring cooperation, including on our terms."
Nato will, nonetheless, be trying to show that more normal business with Russia does not mean that the alliance is abandoning countries like Georgia and Ukraine, our correspondent says. Their foreign ministers will be in Brussels too.