Russia wants clarity from NATO over missile system (2nd Lead)

Nov 1, 2010, 13:58 GMT

Moscow - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday Moscow wanted more clarity from NATO about the alliance's planned anti-missile system and what Russia's role in it might be.

Lavrov made the remarks in his talks with visiting German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle who had urged Moscow's involvement in the anti-missile defence network.

Lavrov said he hoped NATO general secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen would be presenting more details about the system and how NATO conceived what Russia's role in it should be. Rasmussen is to visit Moscow later in the week.

Westerwelle said that a joint effort to build a defensive shield was possible and that Russia was regarded by the West as a strategic partner.

'There should no be no enemy pictures any longer,' the German minister said.

Lavrov said he hoped that NATO at its summit in Lisbon - which President Dmitry Medvedev will be attending - will take a clear position about how it plans to deal with Russia in the future. At any rate Moscow no long felt it was being looked on as an enemy by NATO.

Earlier, Westerwelle pledged that in the effort to build up a new relationship between NATO and Russia, Germany would 'do its share to see that this succeeds.'

Westerwelle was also due to meet opposition and civil society groups during his one-day visit to Moscow, and he brought up a controversial issue, the corruption trial of former oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

The German minister spoke of the 'very serious concern about the conditions of the trial proceedings' in an apparent reference to criticism that the trial was politically motivated in order to silence a critic of Premier Vladimir Putin.

'It is in Russia's interest that these concerns are taken seriously,' Westerwelle said in remarks coming a few days after the Khodorkovsky trial was wrapped up, with a verdict scheduled by December.

Lavrov responded by only pointing out that the defence and prosecution had made their final arguments and that 'the court will decide.'

Khodorkovsky, serving an eight-year term for fraud in connection with his activities as chief of the former Yukos oil concern, stands charged with stealing 218 million tons of oil. The prosecution demanded a further six year term which would keep him in prison until 2017.

Westerwelle's arrival in Moscow kicked off a three-nation tour which will later include Belarus and Lithuania.

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