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Brussels: European Nato states expressed scepticism yesterday about the membership hopes of ex-Soviet Ukraine and Georgia, concerned that any move to bring them into the alliance would further exacerbate tensions with Russia.
Foreign ministers meeting in Brussels also assessed the readiness of a trio of Western Balkan countries - Croatia, Albania and Macedonia - to join the Western defence alliance.
Diplomats tip Croatia as most likely of the three to win an invitation at a summit in April to join Nato, a step they hope would shore up regional stability after Kosovo's Western-backed secession from Serbia last month.
Georgia and Ukraine can at best hope to be offered a so-called "membership action plan" preparing them for accession later, although some Western European nations are reluctant to take even that step.
"I will not hide that I am sceptical, but we'll discuss that calmly," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters before the meeting.
"In Russia we have a new president and I think the European Union wants to put its ties with Russia on another footing. We have to take the interests of others, not only the members of Nato, into account," said Luxembourg's Jean Asselborn.
While Russia cannot block Nato membership steps, allies know that deepening ties with Ukraine and Georgia would strain ties with Moscow that are already badly strained over Kosovo and a planned US missile shield.
Political instability
Both aspirant countries have recently suffered bouts of political instability. Recent polls show strong public opposition to Nato membership in Ukraine, while Georgia's democratic credentials were called into doubt last year by the state of emergency it declared to handle opposition protests.
Even the United States, traditionally a firm backer of the two countries' aspirations to join Nato, was cagey about their prospects ahead of the Brussels talks.
"The United States in principle has always said that when countries are ready for these various stages that Nato ought to have an open door to them," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters.
"That continues to be our position. But I think we are going to want to have discussions," she said.
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said his country wanted to "ensure the hand of friendship remains stretched out" to Ukraine and Georgia but did not comment explicitly on membership hopes of both.
Efforts to deepen Nato ties across the Balkans have hit a potential stumbling block over the threat by alliance member Greece to block Macedonia's entry in a row over its name.
Greece rejects the name Macedonia, saying it implies territorial ambitions by its neighbour against its own northern province of Macedonia, birthplace of Alexander the Great.
If Greece makes good on its threat to block Macedonia's bid, it could have effects for Albania. Some Nato capitals are arguing that it would be better to also postpone any invitation to Albania so that Macedonia was not left behind.
Nonetheless, diplomats said that Nato ministers started the session by signing three sets of accession documents for the Adriatic trio - without their names on - to be ready to hand out invitations at the April summit in Bucharest.
In Russia we have a new president and I think the European Union wants to put its ties with Russia on another footing. We have to take the interests of others, not only the members of Nato, into account."
Jean Asselborn: Foreign Minister, Luxembourg
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