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Nato to discuss ties with Russia Nato to discuss ties with Russia
(about 6 hours later)
Foreign ministers from Nato countries are set to meet in Brussels to discuss resuming co-operation with Russia. Foreign ministers from Nato countries are meeting in Brussels to discuss resuming co-operation with Russia.
Relations between the alliance and Moscow were frozen after Russia's brief war with Georgia in August.Relations between the alliance and Moscow were frozen after Russia's brief war with Georgia in August.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she broadly backed efforts to improve relations but that some areas remained "problematic".US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she broadly backed efforts to improve relations but that some areas remained "problematic".
The ministers are also expected to discuss an increase in Nato co-operation with Georgia and Ukraine. The ministers will also be discussing ways to increase Nato's co-operation with Georgia and Ukraine.
The meeting is not expected to resume the Nato-Russian Council, say analysts, but could lead to a resumption of lower-level dialogue with Moscow. They are expected to encourage Tbilisi and Kiev to pursue reforms needed to join the alliance, but will stop short of offering formal roadmaps, the so-called membership action plans (MAP), the BBC's Caroline Wyatt in Brussels says.
BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says the alliance seems polarised with one camp, including the United States and many of newer European members, eager to draw Georgia and Ukraine ever closer to Nato. Moscow strongly opposes Georgia and Ukraine's plans to join the alliance.
Countries like Germany, France and Italy though are much more cautious. They are worried about worsening tensions with Moscow, our correspondent says. 'Problematic'
No one wants to see a circumstance in which Ukraine and Georgia are shut out Condoleezza Rice class="" href="/1/hi/world/europe/7759257.stm">Nato bid has a long way to go Nato ministers are not expected to revive the Nato-Russian Council, say analysts, but could approve a resumption of lower-level dialogue with Moscow.
Ms Rice said she was not opposed "in principle" to improving the council's activities, but warned against military cooperation. No one wants to see a circumstance in which Ukraine and Georgia are shut out Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State class="" href="/1/hi/world/europe/7759257.stm">Nato bid has a long way to go
Ms Rice said she was not opposed "in principle" to improving the council's activities, but warned against military co-operation.
"We should be very attentive to what the Russians are doing and are they living up to their obligations," she said."We should be very attentive to what the Russians are doing and are they living up to their obligations," she said.
"There are certain types of activities, like military-to-military contacts, that seem to me to be problematic, when the Russian ministry is sitting in Georgian territory, in the separatist regions.""There are certain types of activities, like military-to-military contacts, that seem to me to be problematic, when the Russian ministry is sitting in Georgian territory, in the separatist regions."
Thousands of Russian troops are still stationed in the territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Thousands of Russian troops are still stationed in Georgia's rebel regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Caution 'No shortcuts'
The leaders are also expected to encourage Georgia and Ukraine to pursue the reforms needed to join Nato - a bid opposed by Russia. In Brussels, the Nato ministers will be also discussing the proposed membership of Georgia and Ukraine
However, the ministers are expected to stop short of proposing formal steps towards full Nato membership. But they are expected to stop short of offering Kiev and Tbilisi MAPs - or the fast track to joining the alliance.
The Georgian conflict in the summer raised doubts among some members, including Germany and France, that it was not yet ready to join the alliance and remained too volatile. The Georgian conflict in the summer raised doubts among some members, including Germany and France, over whether it was ready to join the bloc or remained too volatile.
Ms Rice said she believed in Nato's "open door policy" but that there should be "no shortcuts to membership of Nato" and both Ukraine and Georgia must first meet the organisation's admission standards. Ms Rice said she believed in Nato's "open door policy" but that there should be "no short cuts to membership of Nato" and both Ukraine and Georgia must first meet the organisation's admission standards.
"No one wants to see a circumstance in which Ukraine and Georgia are shut out," she said."No one wants to see a circumstance in which Ukraine and Georgia are shut out," she said.
Nato does not want Russia to think it has a veto over who joins the alliance, our correspondent says.
So the ministers are expected to discuss a compromise formula of seeking to further Ukrainian and Georgian entry ambitions, but bypassing the MAPs.
Instead, other less formal measures preparing the way, such as raising the standards of the countries' equipment, will be pursued.