USA: US WELCOME DEAL STRUCK BETWEEN NATO & RUSSIA UPDATE

(14 May 1997) Eng/Russ/Nat U-S Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright and Russian Defence Minister Igor Rodionov, have welcomed news of a deal between Russia and the NATO alliance. The two officials applauded the agreement - struck in Moscow by NATO Secretary-General Solana on Wednesday. Rodionov said the deal was good for both sides - and showed that a compromise on European security could be reached. U-S Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Russian Defence Minister Igor Rodionov broke from their discussions in Washington to give their public reaction to the NATO deal. Albright welcomed the deal - but urged caution. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I'm very encouraged by what I hear from Moscow. But we still have to hear from Secretary-General Solana once he gets in Brussels." SUPER CAPTION: Madeleine Albright, U-S Secretary of State Rodionov was back at the Pentagon later Wednesday, to meet his counterpart, U-S Defence Secretary William Cohen. He said he was pleased that progress had been made on a charter linking Russia with the 16-member NATO alliance. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "Well I haven't seen the agreement yet. But the fact that an agreement is already prepared...is a good sign. It demonstrates the intention of both sides to meet each others interests and find a compromise. I think this agreement suits both Russia and the United States of America. I think it's very good." SUPER CAPTION: Igor Rodionov, Russian Defence Minister. Cohen was also pleased by the path that negotiations had taken. SOUNDBITE:(English) "The president is going to make a statement sometime today, and then each of us will be in a position to offer commentary about it. Minister Rodionov indicated yesterday we were very close to signing an agreement, and apparently that was done and concluded yesterday afternoon." SUPER CAPTION: William Cohen, U.S. Secretary of Defence. Details of the agreement have still to be released. NATO chief, Javier Solana, returned to Brussels late Wednesday and immediately went into a briefing session with NATO Ambassadors. Russian suspicion over NATO expansion into the former Soviet bloc has, until now, prevented any formal agreement. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...