NATO, Russia to cooperate on missile defense

Russia and NATO agreed to cooperate on a range of issues at a Nov. 19 and 20 summit in Lisbon, including the architecture of a European missile-defense system and the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

"Above all, mistrust must be eliminated on both sides," Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg told journalists at the summit. "There still exists a large portion of mistrust of NATO [by Russia]. Of course, sometimes there also exists quite strong mistrust [of Russia] among NATO members."

NATO also unveiled a new strategic concept at the summit, which provides the military alliance's working framework for the next 10 years, but it was the joint agreement made between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and leaders from the 28 NATO member states plus a clarification to Afghan policy that are likely to have the most immediate implications.

"The fact that we are talking to Russia about common threats and the chance to cooperate with Russia on missile defense is an extremely important step," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the summit. "That could be proof that the Cold War has finally come to an end."

The 21st-century cooperation between former 20th-century adversaries is a significant step, and will echo particularly loud across Central and Eastern Europe.

"It comes down on two different sides: One is the obvious one that is if this is a real resetting of relations with Russian, everyone benefits, and Central Europe will benefit the most," said Tomáš Valášek, a foreign policy and defense expert with London-based think tank the Centre for European Reform. "On the other side, Central Europe doesn't want to spend too much time on a reset because NATO doesn't have the power to change Russia's thinking; Russia will always see it as an unfriendly alliance."

Czech officials at the summit kept comments about the relationship upbeat but reserved, with President Vacláv Klaus making a point to tell journalists that the missile-defense system would not be a joint defense system but would consist of two different shields that "by no means would interfere with one another."

The NATO missile-defense shield would cover all European coalition members but would "begin with securing the protection of the most threatened areas in Europe," Defense Minister Alexandr Vondra said, pointing to southeast Europe.

"As far as Central Europe is concerned, the year 2018 is a deadline," he added.

Missile defense is particularly relevant to Czech representatives because of their involvement in the original U.S. plan that would have located a radar base component of the system 90 kilometers southwest of Prague. That plan, touted by the administration of George W. Bush, was scrapped by U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009 in favor of a stripped-down system that seeks to put interceptor missiles on ships in the Mediterranean and possibly in some southeast European countries. Both Bulgaria and Romania have expressed willingness to host parts of the new missile-defense system.

"We invested far from small political capital in it," Klaus said of efforts to gain domestic support for the original radar base, before adding he is satisfied with the present outcome.

And as The Prague Post first reported in February, the Czech Republic is slated to host a portion of the new plan, with a so-far ambiguous "early warning center" to be stationed in or near Prague.

Afghan plan

At the Lisbon summit, Russia also agreed to aid the NATO mission in Afghanistan by allowing more supplies to be transported through Russian territory, as well as to assist in addressing cyber-security issues, and NATO stressed long-term cooperation with Russia by calling for a strengthening of the NATO-Russia Council.

Although NATO's larger strategic plan goes far beyond a "toothless" set of goals, according to Robert Kron, an analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for European Policy Analysis, he says NATO must see if Russia makes good on its cooperation pledge.

"There's one thing to say at this summit that they want to cooperate, but another if you look at their strategic defense doctrines that say NATO is a threat," Kron said.

He said Russian desire to cooperate comes from a policy of self-preservation following the realization that the missile-defense plan would likely go forward regardless of their approval, and added the Russian offer to cooperate "could just be smoke and mirrors."

Another development at the summit was a framework for the future of the war in Afghanistan, which set a deadline for the transfer of all combat operations to Afghan forces by 2014 but promised NATO troop support "for as long as necessary." Afghan President Hamid Karzai and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen signed an agreement pledging collaboration.

The supply of troops to the NATO mission in Afghanistan has been a source of contention among alliance members, with countries withdrawing or lessening their troop contingents in the past year. This saw Rasmussen visit member states to plead for increased commitments, and the Czech Republic has pledged to boost its deployment by 30 percent next year.

"If you can make a case to media, parliaments and finance ministers of 'Yes, we need more troops, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, there's a game plan,' ? it be easier to get additional troops to Afghanistan," Valášek said.

A spokesman for the Defense Ministry declined to comment on specifics but told The Prague Post that Czech troop levels in Afghanistan through 2014 will be "in accordance with the principles of NATO policy agreed at the summit in Lisbon."

In order to make current and future operations more economically feasible at a time where many coalition members have made significant cuts in military budgets as part of austerity measures, the strategic plan emphasized a need for greater cooperation between NATO and other international bodies like the United Nations and the European Union, a move allowing countries to consolidate efforts.

"Obviously, NATO is only as good as its resources," Kron said. "As long as members remain committed to avoid competition [between NATO and the EU] but see it as a symbiotic relationship, it can move forward to a more capable and secure Europe."

Cat Contiguglia can be reached at
ccontiguglia@praguepost.com