Russia plans new security alliance to counter NATO

MOSCOW — As President-elect Bush assembles his foreign policy team, Russia is planning a new security bloc including allies in the Middle East and Far East that would include Iran.

The goal, officials said, would be to counter NATO's growing influence.

The alliance would include other friends of Moscow such as China and India and develop a security regime that would extend from Europe through the Middle East until the Sea of Japan. Iran and Russia already cooperate in Central Asia and in Afghanistan.

The expanded alliance has been promoted in Russia's parliament, where members are pressing for increasing defense relations with Iran, Middle East Newsline reported. State Duma Defense Committee chairman Andrei Nikolayev called for the convening of a meeting attended by Russia, China, India and Iran.

Nikolayev met last week with visiting Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Ahani in Moscow, who is arranging a visit by Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to Russia. Ahani obtained pledges from Russia that it would resist U.S. pressure to prevent the resumption of arms sales to Iran.

Russian officials said both Teheran and Moscow do not want the United States to extend its influence in Central Asia. They envision a scenario where countries such as Azerbaijan would deploy its navy in the Caspian Sea, the border for five states.

For his part, Ahani expressed his opposition to an Azeri presence in the Caspian. Azerbaijan would be the supplier of oil and natural gas in a U.S.-proposed pipeline from Baku to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

"It is necessary to demilitarize the region gradually and start with reducing the existing navies," Nikolayev said. "In the second phase, we should eliminate naval forces possessing missile weaponry, torpedoes, mines and underwater weapons."

The Iranian official agreed and said NATO threatens Russia Iran and India. He called for a meeting with Russia and such former Soviet republics as Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to discuss security in the Caspian region. He said that in the second stage Turkey should be invited.

Last week, a Russian diplomatic delegation held talks in Teheran on such topics as a nuclear free zone in the Middle East and nuclear non-proliferation. Russian officials said Moscow and Teheran reaffirmed their commitment to international nonproliferation accords.

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