Lisbon Nov. 20 (Reuters) - NATO will invite Russia to take part in a U.S.-European missile defence shield at a summit on Saturday, a move that would herald the closest cooperation between the powers since the end of the Cold War.
NATO leaders agreed on Friday to develop a missile system to protect the territory of all NATO member states in Europe and North America. It will be capable of intercepting long-range missiles fired from the Middle East.
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| Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai (3rd L) arrives to attend the second day of the NATO Summit in Lisbon November 20. REUTERS |
Russia will be invited to be involved in the system when President Dmitry Medvedev meets U.S. President Barack Obama and other NATO leaders at the summit in Portugal, but it remains unclear what role Moscow might play.
The system would be designed to defend against intercontinental ballistic missiles fired from Iran or North Korea, but Russia is reluctant to join a programme that defines Iran as a potential missile threat.
NATO member Turkey also is opposed to identifying Iran, a neighbour and ally, as a possible aggressor. NATO sources said leaders had agreed not to name Iran in a statement that will refer to the missile shield, securing Turkey's support.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will hope language can be found to satisfy Russia and make the missile defence cooperation possible.
Afghanistan
The NATO summit largely has focused on the military alliance's role in Afghanistan, where 150,000 U.S. and NATO-led troops are fighting a Taliban insurgency.Russia, which fought its own campaign in Afghanistan from 1979-89 before withdrawing in defeat, is expected to agree to help NATO in the conflict, allowing equipment to move across its territory and providing specialised helicopters.
Moscow is expected to sell 18 Mi-17 helicopters to the United States and lend three more to Afghan forces. The Mi-17 is better suited to operating in Afghanistan's high altitudes and cold weather than equivalent U.S. helicopters.
But Russia has ruled out any suggestion that it could get involved on the ground in Afghanistan, where NATO is struggling for success after 10 years of fighting. Rasmussen said on Friday that NATO forces would begin handing over security responsibility to Afghan forces next year, aiming to end foreign forces' involvement in combat operations by the end of 2014 so they can concentrate on training.
Some NATO and Pentagon officials have expressed doubt that the 2014 deadline can be met because of the rising threat posed by Taliban insurgents to Afghanistan's weak government.
But Rasmussen said he believed it was a realistic goal and one that would allow NATO to focus on training Afghan troops. |
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