Russia warns NATO over European security destabilization

Moscow, June 26 (UNI) Russia today strongly warned NATO over the destabilization of security in Europe by expanding the Western alliance near its borders and planned deployment of US national missile shield in Poland and Czech Republic.

''Russia and NATO need to ensure each other's security and not take steps aimed at strengthening someone's security at the expense of someone else,'' Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the opening of the Russia-NATO Council meeting here.

NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is in Moscow to participate in the meeting marking the fifth anniversary of Russia-NATO council. Scheffer also held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

''We value our NATO partners' readiness to discuss these questions openly with us,'' Mr Lavrov said, adding these issues ''concern key aspects of European and international security, strategic stability.'' He stressed the issues, such as the deployment of US missile defence in Europe and the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty required carefull handling.

Mr Lavrov said Russia will be building its cooperation with NATO with an eye to the trans-Atlantic alliance's internal reforms.

''The parameters of the cooperation will depend on which way NATO transformation goes,'' he noted.

Mr Lavrov pointed out Russia would use the event to make clear its concerns to the bloc, including ones related to the CFE and the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaties, as well as to the final status of the Serbian province of Kosovo.

''CFE- and ABM-related issues affect key aspects of security,'' he said, adding ''Approaches to solve these issues should handle mutual security concerns with care.'' ''We value the Russia-NATO Council format, which enables us to discuss all controversial issues openly,'' he said.

Mr Scheffer said he expected the alliance and Russia to further expand their cooperation against drug trafficking in Afghanistan and to overcome differences on the CFE, missile defence and Kosovo.

Russia is strongly opposed to the deployment of US missile defense system in Central Europe and has declared a moratorium on its compliance with the adapted CFE treaty to protest the reluctance of NATO countries to ratify it.

Moscow also objects to giving sovereignty to Kosovo, arguing that the move would violate Serbia's territorial integrity and set a dangerous international precedent for other breakaway regions, including in the former Soviet Union.

Mr Scheffer told Mr Putin at the start of their meeting in Kremlin today that there was ''no alternative'' to strong relations between Russia and NATO, the Russian news agencies reported.

''We have gone from a period of confrontation to cooperation.

It's complicated work, it cannot happen without any problems,'' Mr Putin said.

UNI