NATO chief looks to build trust with Moscow visit

Source: Reuters

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO's new chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen will try to rebuild trust with Russia shattered by the Georgia war when he visits Moscow for the first time on Tuesday, but analysts cautioned against any quick results.

NATO's search for support for its troubled operation in Afghanistan is likely to top the agenda, but Rasmussen's talks are also expected to touch on plans for missile defense and Russia's proposals for a new European security architecture.

Analysts described the visit as a critical step in rebuilding trust after Moscow's 2008 war in Georgia, which caused a freezing of ties that have only gradually thawed.

But they cautioned against expectations of substantial short-term progress from Rasmussen's meetings with President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BD3Q820091214

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See, this is very un-Bush-like. I'll bet Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is just about fit to be tied too.