(cache) Russia official blasts "secretive" UN-NATO deal

By STEVE GUTTERMAN, Associated Press Writer Thu Oct 9, 3:50 PM ET

MOSCOW - Moscow on Thursday accused NATO and the United Nations of secretly forging an agreement that tightens their cooperation without informing Russia, a U.N. Security Council member whose relations with NATO are badly strained.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia was aware an agreement was in the works and assumed it would be shown to member states for review.

"This did not happen, and the agreement between the secretariats was signed in a secretive way," Lavrov said.

Russia's anger reflected its wariness that closer relations could give NATO more clout at the United Nations, where Moscow holds veto power as a permanent Security Council member.

Moscow says NATO's expansion toward its borders is a threat as its relations with the Western alliance have plunged to a post-Cold War low in the wake of its August war with pro-Western NATO aspirant Georgia.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko suggested that top U.N. officials went back on their word.

"We were assured at the highest level of the U.N. secretariat that no such document would be signed without informing us in advance," he said.

U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said the U.N.-NATO agreement did not require approval from member states.

Montas said the U.N. has similar arrangements with other entities, such as the European Union and the African Union, and that the latest agreement acknowledges that NATO and the U.N. have cooperated for more than a decade on U.N.-mandated missions.

As examples, Montas cited U.N.-NATO work in the Balkans, Afghanistan, and strategic airlift support provided by NATO to AU missions working under U.N. mandates in Sudan and Somalia. She said they have also cooperated in U.N. disaster relief operations.

"The present UN-NATO declaration acknowledges that reality, and provides a framework for continued consultation and cooperation," Montas said. She said it calls for regular communication between officials, training and sharing information.

NATO spokesman James Appathurai denied Moscow was kept out of the loop. He said Russia had been fully briefed on the declaration, including in meetings between Russia's ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, and senior NATO officials.

"There were absolutely no surprises. I don't really understand what the concerns are," he told reporters in Budapest, Hungary.

The Interfax news agency quoted Rogozin as saying that Russia considers the declaration "illegal" and that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon exceeded his authority when he signed it.

Concerned about U.S. power, Russia often stresses the U.N.'s role as the linchpin of international relations. Its leaders cast NATO as an aggressive and outdated alliance, and are calling for a new security system spanning Europe and other areas.

Russia became increasingly assertive on the world stage during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's eight years as president, demanding a voice in discussions of global security.

Tensions between Russia and NATO have increased in recent years over the alliance's eastward expansion and were further strained by Russia's war against Georgia. NATO has suspended operations of its chief vehicle for cooperation with Russia in response to the war.

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Associated Press writers Paul Ames in Budapest, Hungary and John Heilprin at the United Nations contributed to this report.