NATO hard to give Russia legal guarantees on missile defense systems: Rasmussen

14:31, 7 June 2011

MOSCOW. June 7. KAZINFORM NATO sees Russia as a partner rather than an adversary, but the alliance still argues with Russia's request on legal guarantees that the European missile defense system would not target Russia, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told Interfax news agency in an interview released on Tuesday; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.

"The most promising path towards greater trust is more discussion, more political debate and exchange, rather than complicated legal formulas which would be difficult to agree on and ratify among 29 countries (the NATO member states and Russia)," Rasmussen said.

The Secretary General again gave Moscow his oral promise in the interview.

"I can also assure you - and I have said it publicly on many occasions - that NATO will never attack Russia and we are convinced that Russia sees the Alliance in the same light," Rasmussen said.

He admitted that "the legacy of the Cold War" is still lingering in minds of some people, thus he noted that the two sides need "a greater degree of mutual confidence and trust."

Meanwhile, Rasmussen reiterated the alliance does not want a combined NATO-Russian missile defense system but separate interacting missile defense systems; Kazinform cites Xinhua.

For full version go to www.xinhuanet.com/english2010

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