Associated Press
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Heralding the Cold War’s funeral, NATO and Russia reached a historic agreement Tuesday to combat common security threats in the post-Sept. 11 era.
The deal establishing a NATO-Russia council to set policy on counterterrorism and a range of other issues was reached by Secretary of State Colin Powell and other NATO foreign ministers after meeting in the Icelandic capital with their Russian counterpart.
"This is the last rites, the funeral of the Cold War," said British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. "Fifteen years ago, Russia was the enemy, now Russia becomes our friend and ally. There could be no bigger change."
NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said the terror attacks in the United States had driven home the need for broad international cooperation to defend common values and interests, which now extend to Russia.
"This is not some sentimental journey. It’s a hard-nosed, cold, calm exercise in collective self-interest," Robertson said.
The new NATO-Russia Council will set joint policy on a fixed range of issues including counterterrorism, controlling the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, missile defense, peacekeeping and management of regional crises, civil defense, search-and-rescue at sea, promoting military cooperation and arms control.
Straw emphasized the cooperation was more than symbolic: "It could make an enormous difference in the war on terrorism."
NATO officials say the agreement will not affect the alliance’s core mutual defense role and that safeguards are built in to ensure Moscow will not be able to veto NATO decisions if relations sour.
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