Russia joins NATO as a limited partner

Associated Press

ROME — NATO declared Russia a limited partner in the Western alliance Tuesday, embracing its former Cold War enemy as an ally in the battle against modern-day threats like terrorism.

"Two former foes are now joined as partners, overcoming 50 years of division and a decade of uncertainty," President Bush said as leaders of NATO’s 19 member-nations gathered with Russia to form the NATO-Russia Council.

The arrangement gives Russia a voice — but not a veto — on a range of issues including counterterrorism, the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, missile defense, arms control, peacekeeping, civil defense and search-and-rescue at sea.

"We have come a long way from confrontation to dialogue, and from confrontation to cooperation," Russian President Vladimir Putin said. He called the agreement "only a beginning" and looked ahead to a greater role for Russia in NATO.

The leaders sealed the agreement at the seaside Pratica di Mare air base. Italy deployed 15,000 security forces and mounted robust air and sea defenses to protect the 20 world leaders.

NATO was founded in 1949 to contain communism and the Soviet Union. With the collapse of the Soviet empire, NATO has been reaching out to Russia. Under the new arrangement, Russia will have more authority than in an earlier, less formal arrangement set up three years ago to try to nudge Moscow closer to the West.

The accord came four days after Bush and Putin signed a treaty binding both nations to reduce their nuclear arsenals by two-thirds over the next 10 years.

Both agreements gained momentum after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks prompted Bush to seek alliances wherever he could.

Putin won favor with Bush back then when he called to say Russia’s troops were standing down even as Bush put U.S. forces on high alert. Russia also helped provide intelligence and access to South Asian military installations, and Bush publicly embraced Putin’s view that rebels in Chechnya have ties to terrorism.

NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson, who will chair the new council, opened the session by declaring, "This gathering represents the hope of a better, saner future."