NATO-Russia summit possible in 2012 - Rasmussen

BRUSSELS, September 30 (RIA Novosti)

A NATO-Russia summit could be held next year in Chicago if the parties can agree on a substantive agenda, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Friday.

No decision has been taken yet, however, he said, adding that he would like "to make progress on the NATO-Russia track."

Missile defense was a key issue, he said.

"Cooperation on missile defense makes sense militarily - because it renders both our systems more effective. And it makes sense politically -- because it demonstrates that our missile defense is not directed against Russia."

Rasmussen reiterated NATO's two-system idea:

"By cooperating with Russia, we can build two different missile defense systems with the same purpose: to tackle new threats and old suspicions at the same time."

Russia and NATO agreed to cooperate on the so-called European missile shield during the NATO-Russia Council summit in Lisbon in November 2010.

NATO insists there should be two independent systems that exchange information, while Russia favors a joint system with full-scale interoperability.