Russia Joins NATO ‘Peace Partnership’

Amid solemn vows to avoid the errors of history, the principal enemies of the Cold War--Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization--pledged themselves Wednesday to “a far-reaching cooperative relationship” in defense and security matters.

The vows came as Russia joined the alliance’s “Partnership for Peace” program, ending months of uncertainty. When Foreign Minister Andrei V. Kozyrev finally signed the program’s framework document at an official ceremony here, it was welcomed as a major event.

“This is a defining moment in shaping the security of our continent,” declared NATO Deputy Secretary General Sergio Balanzino. “We must not repeat the mistakes of Europe’s past. Our main objective remains a new Euro-Atlantic order of security with the active participation of Russia.”

Speaking in Washington, President Clinton also hailed the accord’s signing, saying, “Today Russia took an important step to help shape a safer and more peaceful post-Cold War world.”

Kozyrev’s trip to NATO headquarters here came just two weeks after Moscow entered a cooperative agreement with the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development--a group of 24 rich countries--and on the eve of Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin’s scheduled signing of an important economic and political accord with the 12-nation European Union.

The Russia-NATO cooperation is seen as the most important element of this larger, intensive diplomatic effort aimed at binding Moscow firmly into the community of democratic nations.

The severe economic turmoil unleashed by Russia’s free-market reforms, coupled with appeals by ultranationalists such as Vladimir V. Zhirinovsky for Russia to sever its Western ties, have raised fears that Moscow might once again be tempted to turn its back on the West and go its own way.

“Today, we are taking another decisive step toward banishing Europe’s historic divisions,” declared Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who witnessed the signing.

He met later with Kozyrev, and at a news conference, the two gave the appearance of wanting to work closely on global issues, including North Korea and the continued search for peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Russia’s decision to join the Partnership for Peace program commits Moscow to work closely with NATO in key military areas, including planning, training and exercises for possible joint peacekeeping missions.

Moscow and its former archfoe also issued a statement after the signing ceremony, stating they had agreed to pursue “a broad, enhanced dialogue,” with political consultations and information-sharing on important security matters.

Such a written statement was seen as a significant concession to Moscow, which had fought hard to be granted a special status by NATO--something the Russians believed essential for the biggest, most powerful country to emerge out of the former Soviet empire and the nation expected to become the sole custodian of the Soviet nuclear deterrent.

In the course of the partnership negotiations, Moscow had initially sought a direct voice in NATO decision-making. When that failed, it pushed hard for a formal consultative role before finally settling for the looser formula of “political consultations, as appropriate, on issues of common concern.”

NATO, eager to engage Moscow but not to be swallowed in the process, tried to avoid a statement of any kind that defined the political relationship in writing. Two weeks ago, at a meeting of foreign ministers from NATO and most of the former Warsaw Pact countries in Istanbul, Turkey, the Russians held up agreement on a final communique for more than five hours by insisting on minor wording changes, apparently to show their displeasure with terms offered under the partnership program.

None of that ill will was visible Wednesday.

Russia is the 21st formerly neutral or Soviet Bloc nation to join the partnership program, an idea conceived by the Clinton Administration to offer closer cooperation, but not full membership and the security guarantees that go with it, to the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe.

Some of these countries, such as Poland and the Baltic states, expressed concern that a strong Russia-NATO accord could lead to another division of Europe into spheres of influence similar to the Cold War division agreed to at the Black Sea resort of Yalta in early 1945 by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. “Since we strictly exclude any idea of zones of influence, such a relationship has nothing to do with some kind of NATO-Russia condominium or a Yalta II,” said Balanzino.

For many at NATO headquarters who had spent their careers working up defenses against Moscow’s formidable military might, it was difficult to absorb what actually was unfolding before them. Kozyrev echoed those sentiments, saying, “Things that were unthinkable two years ago have now become virtually a routine matter in bilateral cooperation and military exchanges.”

At a separate news conference at the Russian Embassy on Wednesday afternoon, Christopher said he and Kozyrev had developed “a common approach” toward a U.N. resolution for sanctions against North Korea, if Pyongyang continued to flout international controls on its nuclear program.

Christopher said the United States and Russia were also continuing to work closely to end the Bosnian war. He said that talks among American, Russian and EU officials were advancing and that their working group would meet again next Thursday to agree on incentives and consequences to entice the warring parties to accept an imposed settlement.

Times staff writers David Lauter and Robin Wright in Washington contributed to this report.