By David Brunnstrom BRUSSELS, March 3 (Reuters) - NATO ministers are expected to move toward normalising ties with Russia this week when they meet to discuss their troubled Afghan operation on Hillary Clinton's first visit to Europe as U.S. secretary of state. The Bush administration spearheaded NATO's suspension of formal dialogue with Russia after Moscow's incursion into Georgia last August, but President Barack Obama's White House team has made it clear it wants to open a new page in relations. While stressing that concerns remain over Russian actions, U.S. officials have emphasised shared interests, including the struggle against Islamist militancy in Afghanistan and elsewhere and concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden flagged the change of tack last month, saying it was time to hit the "reset" button in ties with Russia. NATO already announced a gradual reengagement with Moscow in December after EU states stressed the importance of cooperation. There have followed informal meetings at ambassadorial and political level, but Russia has pushed for a resumption of formal meetings of the decision-making NATO-Russia Council. Foreign ministers from the 26 NATO states could decide this when they meet in Brussels on Thursday, NATO diplomats said. "If all agree it should happen then it will happen," one said. "My sense is that it probably will." Russia set the tone by allowing this week a supply cargo for U.S. forces in Afghanistan through its territory. Monday's New York Times, meanwhile, said Obama had offered to back off deploying a new missile defence system in Eastern Europe if Russia helped stop Iran from building nuclear weapons. President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday that Russia would be willing to discuss a new missile defence structure with the United States but sees Iran's nuclear programme as a separate issue. He said signals from Washington were positive. Russia vehemently opposes deployment of the system in Poland and the Czech Republic and has been angered by NATO promises of membership to former Soviet states Georgia and Ukraine. "MINDFUL OF DIFFERENCES" Daniel Fried, U.S. assistant secretary of state, said the desire to rebuild ties did not mean the United States was burying its problems with Moscow. He noted Biden had stressed Washington would not recognise Russian spheres of influence, or independence of Russian-backed breakaway Georgian regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Biden also stressed that all European countries had a right to seek membership in alliances such as NATO. Fried said U.S. policy was to look at the best ways to cooperate with Russia "but also mindful of our differences, not shying away from them nor abandoning our values and our friends". U.S. officials said Clinton would brief allies and seek input on a U.S. review of policy in Afghanistan, where international forces are struggling to contain a worsening insurgency more than seven years after overthrowing the Taliban. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has caused alarm by calling for a presidential election in April, months earlier than planned, prompting U.S. and NATO warnings that this would make it more difficult to protect the vote from militant violence. Obama has ordered 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan to try to secure an August poll, but these were not due to arrive until July. NATO diplomats said it would be impossible to deploy reinforcements expected from other NATO states in time. Further instability could make it harder for Washington to persuade reluctant allies to boost commitments of troops and other assistance to Afghanistan. Already on Sunday, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the Afghan insurgency could not be defeated and Canada would not provide more troops without a clear exit strategy. And on Monday, French Defence Minister Herve Morin said he wanted NATO to set a date for starting the withdrawal of its forces once a new Afghan strategy was agreed upon. (Additional reporting by Sue Pleming)
Media representatives visit a damaged school in the Mohmand tribal area on the Afghan border February 28, 2009. Pakistani forces have defeated Islamist militants in a strategically important region on the ...
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