US urges fresh start with Russia

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Brussels it is time for a "fresh start" with Russia.

She spoke as ministers debated resuming formal relations with Moscow which Nato froze after the brief war last summer between Russia and Georgia.

Mrs Clinton said that areas of common interest included Afghanistan.

But she added that Nato must leave open the door to membership for Georgia and fellow ex-Soviet state Ukraine.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7925245.stm

[acmavm]

1. I wonder if Russia (aka Putin) cares?

[TheLastMohican]

2. Too late

This ship has sailed long time ago.

[jordi_fanclub]

3. NATO allies agree to restore ties to Russia

Source: AP via Newsweek (since Yahoo!News keeps changing/deleting the articles)

(BRUSSELS, Belgium) NATO foreign ministers have agreed that the alliance will restore normal relations with Russia, seven months after ties were broken in response to Moscow's invasion of the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

After a prolonged debate, the ministers agreed to revive what NATO calls the NATO-Russia Council, a forum for discussion of a wide range of issues. Lithuania had argued that a decision on this should be put off until NATO heads of government meet in early April.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton argued against putting off the decision.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer announced at a news conference at NATO headquarters that the matter was resolved, as originally expected. He did not say when the NATO-Russia Council would resume meeting, but said it would not be before the April NATO summit.

Read more: Newsweek

[TheLastMohican]

4. NATO acting like an immature child last August

They were having a cow like a small child and stomping feet when their "homer boy", the eater of neck-ties was on a rampage in South Osetia and now they are back like nothing has ever happened.

Someone tell them that they look stupid and childish.

[bemildred]

5. "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton argued against putting off the decision."

I must say I am being pleasantly surprised by Ms Clinton.
:thumbsup:

[Selatius]

6. I should hope so, given that Bush's stooge in Georgia started the damn war, not NATO.

Why NATO would break ties in the first place baffles me. The US sold Georgia arms and sent in an unknown number of "advisors" to train the Georgian military in the months before the break-out of war.