West skeptical of Russia’s proposed security plan for Europe

The West looked at Russia's call for a new pan-Europe security pact on Sunday but the EU's top diplomat said it must not undermine NATO, Reuters writes.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana spoke outside a 56-nation meeting of foreign ministers where Western delegates voiced reservations over Russia's proposal for a new security "architecture."

Ministers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) met a day after NATO and Russia restored formal cooperation on security threats, which were frozen after Russia's military intervention in Georgia last year.

Russia’s proposed Treaty on European Security would grant equal status to participating countries, rule out military alliances or adopting policies detrimental to the security of the other parties, and deny any country or alliance the right to disturb peace and stability on the continent.

"[This is] maybe the beginning of a serious process in which we will take a look at the architecture of security in Europe," Solana said before joining the closed-door meeting on the Greek island of Corfu.

But any pan-European pact must encompass not just "hard" - or military security - but also "soft" issues of economy and human rights and democratic governance, Solana, a former NATO secretary-general, told reporters.

Russia's proposal stresses only "hard" security. Western officials say Russia must ditch its old adversarial "sphere of influence" approach to security.

The West also criticizes Moscow for what it sees as a return to authoritarian rule at home and muscle-flexing in former Soviet republics such as Georgia.

The Kremlin accuses the United States of trying to extend its geopolitical sway. The Russian military is concerned by US plans for a missile shield in central Europe and the possible future entry of ex-Soviet states like Georgia into NATO.