Clinton rejects Russia's call for new European security treaty
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday rejected Russia's call for a new European security treaty, saying a closer cooperation between Russia and NATO will strengthen Europe's security.
"Let me state this unambiguously: While Russia faces challenges to its security, NATO is not among them," said Clinton at the Washington Strategic Concept Seminar, referring to the new European Security Treaty, which according to the Kremlin will help the world "finally get rid of the legacy of the Cold War."
"We want a cooperative NATO-Russia relationship that produces concrete results and draws NATO and Russia closer together," said Clinton, adding "European security will benefit if NATO and Russia are more open about our armaments, our military facilities, and our exercises."
"NATO and Russia should have a regular exchange of information on posture, doctrine, and planned military exercises, as well as specific measures to permit observation of military exercises and to allow visits to new or significantly improved military installations," said the secretary.
NATO, an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty signed in 1949, had been a military bloc in the Cold War against the Warsaw Pact, which was led by the Soviet Union.
The Cold War's end and the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991, however, did not lead to the conclusion of NATO's mission. The bloc has been trying to act a new role in global security affairs. Following several times of enlargement, it has 28 member nations, including some former members of the Warsaw Pact.
The Obama administration has expressed firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and Georgia, and their "Euro-Atlantic aspirations and integration into the institutions of the Euro-Atlantic."
Viewing the U.S.-pushed enlargement of NATO as a severe threat to its national security, Russia proposed the new European Security Treaty in November in an attempt to strengthen the "sphere of influence" around it and to halt the further enlargement of NATO.
