NATO said Monday that talks with Russia on forming a closer relationship have reached a final stage, but the alliance denied reports that Moscow would be offered a place on its political decision-making body.
"We've reached a fairly mature point," NATO spokesman Robert Pszczel said of talks with Russia. "But consultations and negotiations are still going on."
As NATO pushes to adapt to changing global politics, members hope to complete a formal agreement on beefing up Russia's role within the organization ahead of a May meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Reykjavik, Iceland.
But although the agreement's framework is taking shape, formal arrangements such as the frequency of meetings have yet to be decided, Pszczel said. "Until everything is agreed on, nothing is agreed," he added, speaking by telephone from Brussels.
The Financial Times reported Monday that NATO's 19 ambassadors had reached an agreement to offer Russia a seat on the North Atlantic Council, the alliance's political decision-making arm.
Pszczel denied the report. "There's no question of transforming the council into anything different," he said. "The discussion is exclusively about creating a new body exclusively devoted to Russia-NATO relations."
Russia's relationship with NATO currently rests on the Permanent Joint Council, formed in 1997 to give Moscow a voice and allay fears about NATO enlargement.
But the forum has no decision-making capabilities. NATO's 19 member states usually consult with Russia only after having first agreed on topics and come to decisions between themselves.
NATO and Russia decided last December to forge a closer relationship to tackle common problems as ties warmed in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Current negotiations are focused on giving Russia a greater say over certain issues. Likely possibilities include counterterrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and search-and-rescue missions.
There is no talk of giving Russia a say over NATO enlargement or including it in Article 5, the provision stating an attack on one member is an attack on all.
Furthermore, NATO -- which comes to decisions by consensus -- may give itself the right to withdraw issues from discussion with Russia if finding agreement proves impossible.
"Russia will not become a de facto NATO member," Pszczel said.
Some NATO members are concerned about giving Russia too much say over the alliance's policy-making process. At the same time, top military staff in Moscow remain deeply suspicious of NATO, especially over a planned expansion this year.
NATO is preparing to invite new members to join the alliance at a November summit meeting in Prague. Nine states have applied for membership. The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania -- all former Soviet republics -- are at the top of the list.
NATO Secretary-General George Robertson has said the talks with Russia were not connected to NATO expansion. "This new relationship is not based on sentiment, it is not based on a trade-off to do with enlargement," Reuters reported him as saying last week on a visit to the Baltic states. "It has to do with a calculation of national interest of Russia and the 19 present members of the Atlantic alliance."
Sharon Riggle, director of the Brussels-based Center for European Security and Disarmament, said Monday that Russia has accepted the fact that NATO will move even farther east. "The Baltics are joining for symbolic political reasons," she said. "Moscow knows it's not a strategically important move."
In December, British Prime Minister Tony Blair proposed changing the North Atlantic Council framework to give Russia the same status as NATO's 19 members in voting on some security issues.
But the proposal was shot down after coming under fire from several NATO members, including the United States and the Czech Republic.
Christopher Langton, research fellow for Russia and the CIS at London's International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the talks with Russia are taking place in the context of Robertson's stated aim of making the alliance more "relevant," especially following the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Robertson feels vaguely frustrated over the European contribution to military action," Langton said in a telephone interview. "He has also suggested Russia has an obvious role to play in counterterrorism."
"We've reached a fairly mature point," NATO spokesman Robert Pszczel said of talks with Russia. "But consultations and negotiations are still going on."
As NATO pushes to adapt to changing global politics, members hope to complete a formal agreement on beefing up Russia's role within the organization ahead of a May meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Reykjavik, Iceland.
But although the agreement's framework is taking shape, formal arrangements such as the frequency of meetings have yet to be decided, Pszczel said. "Until everything is agreed on, nothing is agreed," he added, speaking by telephone from Brussels.
The Financial Times reported Monday that NATO's 19 ambassadors had reached an agreement to offer Russia a seat on the North Atlantic Council, the alliance's political decision-making arm.
Pszczel denied the report. "There's no question of transforming the council into anything different," he said. "The discussion is exclusively about creating a new body exclusively devoted to Russia-NATO relations."
Russia's relationship with NATO currently rests on the Permanent Joint Council, formed in 1997 to give Moscow a voice and allay fears about NATO enlargement.
But the forum has no decision-making capabilities. NATO's 19 member states usually consult with Russia only after having first agreed on topics and come to decisions between themselves.
NATO and Russia decided last December to forge a closer relationship to tackle common problems as ties warmed in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Current negotiations are focused on giving Russia a greater say over certain issues. Likely possibilities include counterterrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and search-and-rescue missions.
There is no talk of giving Russia a say over NATO enlargement or including it in Article 5, the provision stating an attack on one member is an attack on all.
Furthermore, NATO -- which comes to decisions by consensus -- may give itself the right to withdraw issues from discussion with Russia if finding agreement proves impossible.
"Russia will not become a de facto NATO member," Pszczel said.
Some NATO members are concerned about giving Russia too much say over the alliance's policy-making process. At the same time, top military staff in Moscow remain deeply suspicious of NATO, especially over a planned expansion this year.
NATO is preparing to invite new members to join the alliance at a November summit meeting in Prague. Nine states have applied for membership. The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania -- all former Soviet republics -- are at the top of the list.
NATO Secretary-General George Robertson has said the talks with Russia were not connected to NATO expansion. "This new relationship is not based on sentiment, it is not based on a trade-off to do with enlargement," Reuters reported him as saying last week on a visit to the Baltic states. "It has to do with a calculation of national interest of Russia and the 19 present members of the Atlantic alliance."
Sharon Riggle, director of the Brussels-based Center for European Security and Disarmament, said Monday that Russia has accepted the fact that NATO will move even farther east. "The Baltics are joining for symbolic political reasons," she said. "Moscow knows it's not a strategically important move."
In December, British Prime Minister Tony Blair proposed changing the North Atlantic Council framework to give Russia the same status as NATO's 19 members in voting on some security issues.
But the proposal was shot down after coming under fire from several NATO members, including the United States and the Czech Republic.
Christopher Langton, research fellow for Russia and the CIS at London's International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the talks with Russia are taking place in the context of Robertson's stated aim of making the alliance more "relevant," especially following the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Robertson feels vaguely frustrated over the European contribution to military action," Langton said in a telephone interview. "He has also suggested Russia has an obvious role to play in counterterrorism."
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