NATO Chief: No Summit With Russia Without A Deal On Missile Defense

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says there will be no summit with Russia in May if there is no deal by then on missile defense cooperation.

NATO says its missile defense system is not targeted at Russia but Moscow is unconvinced, and wants legal guarantees that NATO in turn is reluctant to commit to.

Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels on January 26 that if there is no deal on missile cooperation, there will "probably" be no NATO-Russia summit in Chicago on May 20-21.

Separately, Rasmussen urged NATO countries to stick to the "agreed plan" to withdraw troops by the end of 2014.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested last week that France may drawdown its troops faster than anticipated after four French soldiers were killed by an Afghan soldier.

compiled from agency reports