Bosnian clouds hang over talks with Russia

Date: 25/09/1997

THE first ministerial-level permanent joint council meeting between Russia and NATO will be dominated by an issue which sharply divides them.

While military operations in Bosnia could not have been left off the agenda for next week's meeting in New York, NATO officials are expecting discussions on the Balkan federation to be a hot potato in an encounter rich in symbolism.

The council will mark the first top-level encounter between the old foes since they signed a landmark cooperation accord this summer.

But Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov and his 16 NATO counterparts may find that their proclaimed 'new era of cooperation' means little where the two sides remain at loggerheads.

“We need to find a more united approach in areas such as clamping down on inflammatory media [in the Republika Srpska],” said a NATO spokesman commenting on recent events.

He added that Russia had also been hesitant about SFOR (the alliance's stabilisation force) actively pursuing alleged war criminals.

Casting further doubt on the extent of East-West rapprochement, the council will avoid altogether discussing an extension of SFOR's mandate beyond mid-1998, when it is due to leave the country despite widespread international concern.

“A pull-out debate would be premature, especially as within NATO we have not decided what to do. This is a complex question. A new mandate also means a new strategy, new arms control policies and continued supervision,” explained the spokesman.

Nonetheless, while it is no secret that East and West do not see eye to eye on Serbian or Croatian nationalism, the fact that they have managed to cooperate at all in such a sensitive area is something of a coup.

“Military cooperation between NATO and Russia in Bosnia has gone very well. Relations amongst our generals are excellent,” said the spokesman.

As a result, ministers may try to focus on the positive aspects of their relationship rather than risk an embarrassing split.

Also on the bright side, the council hopes to approve a new NATO-Russia work plan to give some much-needed substance to the partnership's lofty ideals.

In future, Russia should be able to participate in NATO Partnership for Peace exercises and set up a military mission at the alliance's headquarters.

The work plan will also engender debate on issues such as nuclear safety, Russian army restructuring and operations in world trouble spots.

Moscow claims it is in the midst of sweeping military reforms, which include new targeting policies for nuclear missiles, moves to make its army more professional and the establishment of new military objectives. NATO clearly wants to be involved in the process.

The alliance, in return, says it can help in areas such as retraining military personnel who lose their jobs as a result of the changes. “We have quite a lot of experience in this area,” said a spokesman.