Bloomberg
January 29, 2010, 12:15 PM EST
--With assistance from James G. Neuger in Brussels. Editors: Leon Mangasarian, Eddie Buckle.
To contact the reporter on this story: Indira Lakshmanan in London at +1-202-654-1277 or ilakshmanan@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jim Kirk at +1-202-654-4315 or jkirk12@bloomberg.net
(Adds Clinton quote in last paragraph.)
By Indira A.R. LakshmananJan. 29 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rejected Russia’s calls for new European security treaties and said American forces will remain on the continent to “deter attacks and to respond quickly if any occur.”
“European security remains an anchor of U.S. foreign and security policy,” Clinton said in a speech today in Paris, adding that “some questions” had been raised in recent months about the depth of the Obama administration’s commitment to Europe.
Clinton dismissed two Russian initiatives seen as a bid to boost Russian influence over countries once part of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact and to halt the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s expansion. A plan put forward last month would have effectively given Russia a veto over allied military planning, especially in eastern Europe, said four allied officials who declined to be named.
“The Russian government has put forth proposals for new security treaties for Europe,” Clinton said. “However, we believe that these common goals are best pursued in the context of existing institutions, such as the OSCE and the NATO-Russia Council, rather than by negotiating new treaties, as Russia has suggested.”
The OSCE is the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Clinton said that a “cornerstone” of European security is the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.” She repeated U.S. calls on Russia to honor the terms of a cease-fire agreement that ended the August 2008 Russia-Georgia war and the administration’s refusal to recognize Russia’s claims of independence for the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Spheres of Influence
“More broadly, we object to any spheres of influence in Europe in which one country seeks to control another’s future,” Clinton said, adding that even amid Russian opposition, “NATO must and will remain open to any country that aspires to become a member and can meet the requirements of membership.”
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused NATO of violating a 1998 pledge not to permanently station “substantial combat forces” on former Warsaw Pact territory.
NATO absorbed former Soviet allies starting in 1999 -- including three former Soviet republics, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania -- at a time when a Russia shorn of its Cold War satellites was struggling to regain its economic footing after defaulting on $40 billion of debt.
Under Putin since 2000, energy-rich Russia has seized on an oil price that peaked at $147 per barrel in July 2008 to revive its economy and gain leverage over oil- and gas-importing states in Europe.
Russia Pushes Back
Russia pushed back against further NATO enlargement with its 2008 invasion of Western-leaning Georgia and attempts to reassert control over Ukraine.
The U.S. will maintain its “unwavering commitment” to Article 5 of the NATO treaty “that an attack on one is an attack on all,” said Clinton.
“As proof of that commitment, we will continue to station American troops in Europe, both to deter attacks and to respond quickly if any occur,” she said.
To be sure, Clinton underlined that even when Russia and the U.S. don’t agree “we will seek constructive ways to discuss and manage our differences.” She noted that “Russia is no longer our adversary” and pointed to Russian-U.S. cooperation on Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea.
She also highlighted progress in discussions on a new START treaty to reduce the size of the Russian and U.S. nuclear arsenals.
TreCooperate With Russia
Clinton said the U.S. is serious about exploring ways to cooperate with Russia to develop a missile defense system that would provide security for both Europe and Russia.
“Missile defense we believe will make this continent a safer place,” said Clinton. “That safety could extend to Russia, if Russia decides to cooperate with us.”
Clinton called on Russia to back the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty and urged the Russian leadership to lift its two- year-old suspension of the implementation of the CFE Treaty. She said an updated treaty should take into account developments since the original treaty was signed in 1990 and include “the right of host countries to consent to stationing foreign troops in their territory.”
The OSCE’s ability to defend and promote human rights needs to be strengthened and it needs a “Crisis Prevention Mechanism” that would allow it to send rapid humanitarian aid and provide impartial monitoring, Clinton said.
NATO has pointed to the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, an East-West forum created in 1975, as the best arena for discussing Russia’s security concerns.
“We are continuing the enterprise we began at the end of the Cold War to expand the zone of democracy and stability across Europe,” Clinton said.
--With assistance from James G. Neuger in Brussels. Editors: Leon Mangasarian, Eddie Buckle.
To contact the reporter on this story: Indira Lakshmanan in London at +1-202-654-1277 or ilakshmanan@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jim Kirk at +1-202-654-4315 or jkirk12@bloomberg.net
