THE Secretary General of NATO, Mr Javier Solana, and the Russian Foreign Minister, Mr Yevgeny Primakov, failed to resolve differences over the Western alliance's enlargement plans during talks yesterday.
Their meeting, shrouded in secrecy at an official residence outside Moscow, produced agreement only on a schedule for more talks and on the fact that negotiations twill not be easy over the next few months.
"The meeting was useful although, of course, there are different approaches on a range of questions," a brief Russian foreign ministry statement said.
"Discussions will be continued. A timetable has been set for future work. It is clear that it will not be easy but the two sides will try to make them a success."
A statement issued at NATO headquarters in Brussels was almost identical.
Relations are overshadowed by disagreement over NATO's plans to take in former Soviet bloc countries from eastern and central Europe. Moscow says such expansion would threaten its security.
Little time remains for reaching, an understanding before a July summit in Madrid at which NATO is expected to issue invitations to the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
Western diplomats say Russia appears intent on delaying enlargement, limiting the number of countries that join NATO and seeking as many concessions as possible.