Russia Co-Chairs NATO Meeting

A bit of history unfolded at NATO headquarters here Friday as Russian Foreign Minister Igor S. Ivanov took a seat at the circular conference table to co-chair a meeting with members of the world’s mightiest military alliance, for almost half a century Moscow’s greatest rival.

In a joint declaration afterward, Russia and NATO proclaimed a commitment “to forge a new relationship” that would jointly “stand up to new threats and risks” to their common security.

“We have decided to give new impetus and substance to our partnership--and to pursue opportunities for joint action,” the statement pledged.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s decision to convert its superficial contacts with Russia launched in 1997 into something substantive and enduring reflects a breakthrough in relations since the Sept. 11 attacks accelerated the pace of rapprochement. But it also reveals the struggles both within the Bush administration and among alliance members in trying to determine how far to go with Moscow.

Indeed, the move to establish a new NATO-Russia Council under the guidelines accepted here Friday almost didn’t happen, according to alliance sources.

Over the last two weeks, arguments within the Bush administration led to attempts to scuttle the key phrase--”NATO at 20”--that captured the new spirit of cooperation between the 19 alliance members and Russia, diplomats here say.

Pentagon hawks were particularly uncomfortable with the State Department’s willingness to accept a body that could be a forum for hot topics such as missile defense and arms control--and potentially give Moscow some say within the alliance on those issues.

The Pentagon’s determined opposition clashed sharply with the tenor of talks between President Bush and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in Shanghai two months ago and in the U.S. last month. The elevation of contacts was one of the payoffs for Putin’s decision to stake his nation’s security on ties to the West.

“We kind of came to a conclusion that it’s not ‘19-plus-one’ anymore. We really have to be NATO at 20,” Secretary of State Colin L. Powell told reporters traveling here with him Friday.

When Powell insisted that the phrase at the heart of the agreement be retained, Pentagon officials shot back arguments about how many times it could appear in the final document--and where it could be used in any given sentence. In the final communique, the phrase “at 20” appears only once.

European allies differed with the U.S. over how much of a say Russia might have in final decisions.

French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine said Friday that Russia’s cooperation since Sept. 11 was “remarkable” and a confirmation of Putin’s “strategic choice” to side with the West. NATO should respond, he urged, “with an equally decisive overture.”

And in his opening remarks Friday, NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said of Russia: “There is no issue more important to the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area than the further development of a confident and cooperative relationship between us. We now have a unique opportunity to build a better, more stable future with full and wholehearted Russian participation.”

But the Pentagon was particularly alarmed when Robertson suggested two weeks ago, after talks with Putin in Moscow, that Russia might on some occasions have veto power.

Under pressure from Washington, any such prospect was quickly tabled. The issue is particularly sensitive because the NATO charter requires all decisions to be reached unanimously.

In the end, a litany of reservations generated largely by the Pentagon forced NATO to put the brakes on British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s proposal to finalize an agreement on the scope of Russia-NATO cooperation by the end of the semiannual meeting.

“Some wanted to go so fast as to do it this week,” Powell said. But then “it became clear that we really [had to] make sure that we know what we’re doing and let’s think it through.”

The debate is far from over. During the next six months, discussions are likely to get even more heated as details of the new relationship are fleshed out. Despite the alliance’s commitment to work intensely to wrap up an agreement before the group meets again, Powell said Friday that the May gathering “is not a deadline.”

Yet, despite the behind-the-scenes conflict, the history of the moment was not lost Friday.

“We have turned an important corner in NATO-Russia relations,” Ivanov said after meeting with Powell and other alliance members.

“What we are talking about is a mechanism that will enable us to draft and adopt decisions together on the crucial issues of security that will correspond to the spirit of the age.”

Perhaps with a touch of irony, Putin said Friday that Moscow is in no hurry to create the new council. During a visit to Greece, he said, “Russia is not desperately knocking on the door of NATO.”