LAVROV PULLS OUT OF RUSSIA-NATO MEETING

Associated Press Writer
Tuesday May 5 2009 DAVID NOWAK

MOSCOW – Russia’s foreign minister has pulled out of a NATO-Russia
Council meeting planned for Brussels this month to protest the
alliance’s upcoming military exercises in Georgia and the expulsion
of two Russian diplomats from its headquarters, a senior diplomat
said Tuesday.

Sergey Lavrov’s decision to withdraw from the May 19 meeting was
based on concerns about the exercises that start Wednesday and over
the expulsions last week, which were in apparent retaliation for a
spy case dating back to February, Russia’s NATO envoy Dmitry Rogozin
said in televised comments.

Russia is frustrated by what it sees as Western meddling in its
traditional sphere of influence and opposes Georgia’s efforts to join
NATO. NATO maintains the war games in Georgia, which fought a short
war with Russia last August, are not directed at Russia.

NATO deputy spokeswoman Carmen Romero said the alliance regretted
Lavrov’s withdrawal "because there are many issues of common and
mutual interest that we could discuss between NATO and Russia."

NATO and Russia last week restored formal contacts that were suspended
as a result of the Georgian war, and Rogozin told the state-run
RIA-Novosti news agency that the disagreement over the diplomats
would not lead to a renewed freeze in cooperation.

The NATO exercises, which20continue through June 1, were initially
to include about 1,300 personnel from 19 NATO and partner nations.

But some former Soviet republics have decided not to take part.

Among the countries to back out was Armenia, which is dependent on
Russia for its economic survival. Four other former Soviet republics
Estonia, Latvia, Kazakhstan and Moldova and Serbia have also pulled
out, the Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported Tuesday.

Romero said that NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer hoped
that the two sides could meet for talks soon.