NATO-Russia mood improves, ministerial date sought

By David Brunnstrom

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO and Russia said on Wednesday the mood between them had warmed since rifts over a spy scandal and Georgia, clearing the way for better cooperation on global security issues including piracy and Afghanistan.

Russia's ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said a meeting with his 28 NATO counterparts in Brussels agreed to work on a date for a ministerial level meeting Moscow delayed after NATO expelled two Russian diplomats early this month.

Both NATO spokeswoman Carmen Romero and Rogozin described the mood of the meeting as "positive". Romero said it focused on how to improve cooperation on terrorism, piracy and non-proliferation, including the North Korea nuclear issue.

Rogozin said Russia was pleased NATO had moved away from confrontation and provocation seen in the past few months.

"We prefer to have normal relations with NATO and not confrontation," he told a news briefing, while stressing that political agreement was needed at ministerial level to boost military cooperation in areas such as counter-piracy.

Rogozin said a meeting of foreign ministers could be held in New York in September during the United Nations Security Council session, or possibly earlier.

"We are talking about in the coming months," he said.

Romero said members of the joint NATO-Russia Council had expressed the wish to hold the meeting as soon as possible and NATO Secretary-General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer was willing to chair it before his mandate finishes at the end of July.