NATO'S EUROPEAN leaders endorsed US plans for a missile defence system in Europe, strengthening President George W Bush's hand ahead of weekend talks with Russia's president, Vladimir Putin.
The leaders, meeting in Bucharest yesterday, decided that the alliance should welcome the system and extend it to Turkey and areas in the Balkans that would not be covered by current US plans.
The decision marks a big shift within Nato over an issue that until early last year divided it. US and European officials said the change followed intensified US efforts to consult with its allies - and with Russia - over the system's configuration.
"People said this would be the latest wedge issue between the US and Europe," a US official said. "The Europeans have come to the view that our offer was clearly a very serious one, very detailed and open to working with the Russians."
Ironically, the consultations intensified after a bellicose speech by Mr Putin last February in Munich which attacked US missile defence, expressing the fear it was directed against Russia.
Washington said the system needed to deal with Iran's missile and nuclear ambitions, and was too small and in the wrong place to affect Russia's nuclear deterrent. Yesterday's Nato statement indicates allies share the US view that Iran does pose a potential threat to Europe.
In a significant step towards building the system, the US and the Czech Republic announced an agreement over the siting on Czech territory of a high definition radar to track ballistic missiles.
The radar, sited at a former Soviet base at Brdy, will be linked to other parts of the US missile defence system, including a proposed site for 10 interceptors in Poland, which is still negotiating with Washington.
The legally binding agreement "is an important step in our efforts to protect our nations and our Nato allies from the growing threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction", the two governments said.
The summit ends today with a meeting between Mr Putin, who arrived in Bucharest yesterday, and the Nato leaders, after which he and Mr Bush will head for weekend talks at the Black Sea resort of Sochi. US officials said Mr Bush would push efforts to bring the Russians into the system, which they maintain would increase its effectiveness.
While no dramatic breakthrough is expected, hopes have been raised over the basis for agreement at Sochi, as well as movement towards a broader security accord proposed by Mr Bush. Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Russian Duma's international affairs committee, said yesterday that agreements on missile defence and broader security issues were possible.
Stephen Hadley, White House national security adviser, said advances had been made already in talks with the Russians but that more negotiations were needed at Sochi.
US officials said the broader agreement would cover other security issues, including starting talks for a replacement for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which limits the numbers of nuclear warheads the US and Russia may hold.