Russians edging closer to Nato

BRUSSELS - Russian President Vladimir Putin reached out to Nato yesterday, backing the international campaign against terrorism and calling on the alliance to transform itself into a broader organisation with which Russia could become fully involved.

During a day of talks with European Union and Nato leaders, Putin called for the European community "to look again at regional security", and appealed to fellow leaders to come up with "practical solutions".

The comments, backed by a firm promise of help to the coalition against terrorism, underlined Moscow's determination to use the new international climate to enhance Russia's international role.

While focusing mainly on international cooperation against Osama bin Laden's network, both sets of talks also broached the more sensitive issue of Russian involvement in post-Cold War security.

At yesterday's EU-Russia summit, the two sides agreed to hold monthly talks on defence, tying Moscow closely to Europe's emerging security plans and its aim of setting up a rapid reaction force of 60,000 troops by 2003.

The new climate of partnership was cemented in a joint EU-Russia statement promising cooperation to block terrorist finances, exchanges of intelligence on terrorist suspects, movements of chemical, biological or nuclear material, the use of false documents and other terrorist activity.

"The European Union, together with the Russian Federation and the United States, are going to fight against terrorism," said Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy high representative. "We are going to win this battle."

In return, the EU downplayed criticism of Russian abuses in Chechnya, devoting only one, neutral paragraph to the issue in the joint declaration.

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