“The word threat is unjustified and inappropriate in this regard,” De Hoop Scheffer told reporters today in Reykjavik, Bloomberg.com reports. “I would be the last one to expect or to make any reference to military conflict, definitely not”, the general secretary added. Cooperation in the Arctic will be on the agenda as NATO seeks to rebuild ties with the Kremlin that were shattered by Russia’s five-day war in August with would-be alliance member Georgia, De Hoop Scheffer said. “I hope we’ll see that development soon,” De Hoop Scheffer said, referring to the improvement of NATO-Russia relations.
