| Russia and the United States need to institutionalize
their efforts to
disrupt agents of international terrorism and proliferation of weapons
of
mass destruction before they link up to carry out attacks of catastrophic
proportions, top security analysts from both countries said Thursday.
"The important part of the answer is to embed and integrate the
discussion of counter-terrorism into a much more sophisticated
multi-dimensional dialogue on a whole range of issues," Strobe Talbott
said
in an interview on the sidelines of a conference.
Talbott, Alexei Arbatov,
former deputy chairman of the State Duma's Defense Committee, and most
of the other participants in a panel on security said Moscow and Washington
should move beyond the occasional sharing of intelligence and institutionalize
their cooperation.
"The main threat to Russia and the U.S. as well as other countries
is
terrorism and proliferation of WMD, and these threats may merge,"
Arbatov
warned.
He was echoed by Rose Gottemoeller, senior associate with the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace, who called for the establishment of
joint
rapid reaction teams that would be able to interdict and disarm WMD-armed
terrorist groups before they strike.
The United States and Russia "are holding each other at arm's
length"
even though the possibility that terrorists may acquire WMD emerges as
the
gravest threat to both countries, she said.
Another panel member, however, disagreed.
Konstantin Kosachyov, chairman of the Duma's International Affairs
Committee, said international terrorism networks, such as al-Qaida, and
proliferation of WMD are not the gravest threats to Russia's national
security when compared to such domestic challenges as depopulation and
economic dependence on exports of natural resources.
"Al-Qaida doesn't see Russia as an enemy, while those countries
that
seek WMD do not plan to use them against Russia," Kosachyov said.
Talbott suggested that the NATO-Russia Council be used to
institutionalize cooperation between Moscow and the West on terrorism
and
proliferation.
"The Russian side is missing an opportunity to engage NATO countries
on these issues," including not only terrorism, but also Russia's
possible
contribution to missile defense projects pursued by the United States
and
other members of the alliance, Talbott said.
See also:
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Russia-US
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Anti-Terror Coalition
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| 