NATO-Russia talks aim to rebuild post-Georgia ties

By David Brunnstrom

CORFU, Greece (Reuters) - NATO foreign ministers meet their Russia counterpart on Saturday in their highest level contact since the Georgia war, hoping to launch a new programme of cooperation on issues like Afghanistan and counter-terrorism.

Gathering on the Greek island of Corfu, many ministers will stay on for an informal European Union review of ties with Iran over its post-election crackdown on opposition protesters, and a session of Europe's biggest security and human rights group to tackle Western-Russian tensions stoked by the Georgia conflict.

The meetings come a week before a summit between U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow, and a summit of Group of Eight powers in Rome.

The spate of diplomacy is aimed at mending ties torn by Russia's crushing of a Georgian bid to retake a rebel region and U.S. plans for a missile shield on Russia's doorstep, stirring a poisonous atmosphere reminiscent of the old Cold War.

"In the next 10 days we will have a level of interaction with Russia designed, one, to rebuild trust so that, two, we can deal with the challenges we all confront in a coordinated and cooperative manner," a senior U.S. official said.

"We are now willing to express our differences at the table, as opposed to shouting at each other from outside the room."

MILITARY COOPERATION