Red Devil
02-04-2008, 02:57 AM
The Nato summit which begins on Wednesday in the Romanian capital Bucharest is already being billed as the biggest in the alliance's 59-year history.
But it will also have an unusual and important guest of honour: Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Soviet Union and Nato were, of course, enemies during the Cold War, so it is still a significant moment when the Russian head of state agrees to turn up.
Mr Putin has only been to one previous summit and that was when the Nato-Russia Council was established in Rome in 2002. Since then relations have been steadily deteriorating.
But now, in his final few weeks as Russian president, Mr Putin may be seeking to soften his image as a confrontational leader on the world stage, as the man who stoked concerns that a deep chill was once again descending on relations between East and West.
That is probably why the Kremlin is talking up the likelihood of a symbolically important agreement which it expects to be signed during the talks between Mr Putin and Nato leaders on Friday.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russia will allow the shipment of non-military supplies across its territory to the Nato mission in Afghanistan.
It is not a purely magnanimous gesture by Moscow. It is also in Russia's own interest to see Afghanistan stabilised and hard-core Islamic groups neutralised.
But that anticipated bright spot at the summit may be eclipsed by the major areas of disagreement between Russia and Nato.
Chief among them is Nato's plan to keep expanding into Eastern Europe, a region which Moscow sees as its traditional sphere of influence.
They also say it will add to Russia's fear of being encircled by Nato member states. Ukraine and Georgia, which border Russia, would be just the latest in a long list of Eastern European countries to join Nato, including Estonia and Latvia, which also lie along Russia's long border. But Moscow's strongly-worded opposition to the plan has succeeded in splitting Nato's 26 member states.
Germany is leading the rebellion and has other Western European countries, including France, on its side. The lack of consensus will probably lead to the crucial decision being delayed until the next summit, although President Bush, who will also be in Bucharest, continues to lobby hard.
Mr Bush's first stop on his way to the Nato summit was in Ukraine, where he said he strongly supported Kiev's bid.
The Nato Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, has also made it clear that Russia would not be allowed to veto the decision of independent states to join the alliance, saying it is only "a question of when" Ukraine and Georgia will join the Membership Action Plan.
If, as expected, the decision is delayed for at least a year, there is no prospect of a change in Russia's position under Dmitry Medvedev, who will be sworn in as president next month.
In his first major interview since being elected, Mr Medvedev told the Financial Times that allowing Ukraine and Georgia to join Nato could jeopardise European security. It was a clear sign that on the fundamental foreign policy issues Mr Medvedev will be following closely the course set by his mentor and predecessor, Vladimir Putin.
On the agenda at the marble-lined palace in Bucharest will be the question of whether Ukraine and Georgia should be allowed to join Nato's Membership Action Plan, a step which would eventually lead to both countries becoming full members of the military alliance.
The mere suggestion of this is making Russia see red. One Russian analyst said it would be "a spit in the face" if Nato leaders agreed to it. Mr Peskov put it more diplomatically: "The artificial integration of these countries into Nato would damage democracy," he said, "and lead to additional tension."
He went on to criticise Nato as a "child of the Cold War" which was still in search of a new identity in the vastly changed world of the 21st Century.
Privately even some Western diplomats in Moscow say they are dismayed by the American-led push to get Ukraine and Georgia into the Nato club right now, arguing it sends all the wrong signals to Russia during the transition between President Putin and his successor, Dmitry Medvedev.
Normally I take these so called summits with a pich of the proverbial salt, but this one has many important factors to discuss and, hopefully, reach some form of agreement on. The presence of Russia is obviously quite important. Lets hope some stability and reason emerges from these talks.
But it will also have an unusual and important guest of honour: Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Soviet Union and Nato were, of course, enemies during the Cold War, so it is still a significant moment when the Russian head of state agrees to turn up.
Mr Putin has only been to one previous summit and that was when the Nato-Russia Council was established in Rome in 2002. Since then relations have been steadily deteriorating.
But now, in his final few weeks as Russian president, Mr Putin may be seeking to soften his image as a confrontational leader on the world stage, as the man who stoked concerns that a deep chill was once again descending on relations between East and West.
That is probably why the Kremlin is talking up the likelihood of a symbolically important agreement which it expects to be signed during the talks between Mr Putin and Nato leaders on Friday.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russia will allow the shipment of non-military supplies across its territory to the Nato mission in Afghanistan.
It is not a purely magnanimous gesture by Moscow. It is also in Russia's own interest to see Afghanistan stabilised and hard-core Islamic groups neutralised.
But that anticipated bright spot at the summit may be eclipsed by the major areas of disagreement between Russia and Nato.
Chief among them is Nato's plan to keep expanding into Eastern Europe, a region which Moscow sees as its traditional sphere of influence.
They also say it will add to Russia's fear of being encircled by Nato member states. Ukraine and Georgia, which border Russia, would be just the latest in a long list of Eastern European countries to join Nato, including Estonia and Latvia, which also lie along Russia's long border. But Moscow's strongly-worded opposition to the plan has succeeded in splitting Nato's 26 member states.
Germany is leading the rebellion and has other Western European countries, including France, on its side. The lack of consensus will probably lead to the crucial decision being delayed until the next summit, although President Bush, who will also be in Bucharest, continues to lobby hard.
Mr Bush's first stop on his way to the Nato summit was in Ukraine, where he said he strongly supported Kiev's bid.
The Nato Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, has also made it clear that Russia would not be allowed to veto the decision of independent states to join the alliance, saying it is only "a question of when" Ukraine and Georgia will join the Membership Action Plan.
If, as expected, the decision is delayed for at least a year, there is no prospect of a change in Russia's position under Dmitry Medvedev, who will be sworn in as president next month.
In his first major interview since being elected, Mr Medvedev told the Financial Times that allowing Ukraine and Georgia to join Nato could jeopardise European security. It was a clear sign that on the fundamental foreign policy issues Mr Medvedev will be following closely the course set by his mentor and predecessor, Vladimir Putin.
On the agenda at the marble-lined palace in Bucharest will be the question of whether Ukraine and Georgia should be allowed to join Nato's Membership Action Plan, a step which would eventually lead to both countries becoming full members of the military alliance.
The mere suggestion of this is making Russia see red. One Russian analyst said it would be "a spit in the face" if Nato leaders agreed to it. Mr Peskov put it more diplomatically: "The artificial integration of these countries into Nato would damage democracy," he said, "and lead to additional tension."
He went on to criticise Nato as a "child of the Cold War" which was still in search of a new identity in the vastly changed world of the 21st Century.
Privately even some Western diplomats in Moscow say they are dismayed by the American-led push to get Ukraine and Georgia into the Nato club right now, arguing it sends all the wrong signals to Russia during the transition between President Putin and his successor, Dmitry Medvedev.
Normally I take these so called summits with a pich of the proverbial salt, but this one has many important factors to discuss and, hopefully, reach some form of agreement on. The presence of Russia is obviously quite important. Lets hope some stability and reason emerges from these talks.