Missile defence agreement key to further NATO-Russia cooperation --

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Itar-Tass) -- NATO and Russia have an opportunity
to strengthen bilateral cooperation by coming to agreement on missile
defence, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
Speaking at the University of Chicago on Wednesday, May 11, he said
more than 30 countries have or are creating ballistic missiles and such
arsenal in some countries can pose a direct threat both to NATO member
states and Russia.
Rasmussen said this is why NATO has decided to create a missile
defence designed to counter such threats and invited Russia to participate
in this process.
He explained that he was referring to interaction between two
independent missile defence systems.
Russian permanent representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said earlier
that the first results of Russia-NATO cooperation on missile defence might
be announced in June at a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council.