Russia treaty freeze a warning to NATO

By Christian Lowe

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will not start a new arms race when it freezes compliance with a Cold War arms treaty on Wednesday but it does want to send a clear message it is not happy about NATO's eastward expansion.

Russia will suspend its participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, a pact that limits weapons levels on either side of the old Iron Curtain and, according to Moscow, now gives NATO free rein to beef up its forces.

"There is no threat from Moscow. No one in Berlin would think that Russian tanks could move on Germany," said Anatoly Antonov, head of the foreign ministry's security and disarmament department.

But Russia's concerns about the CFE treaty "were not listened to and we are forced to take such a serious decision", he told reporters last week.

Western capitals regard Russia's move as another sign of the assertive approach to foreign policy under President Vladimir Putin. Moscow has also taken a tough stance against Washington's plans for a missile shield in Europe.

Russia's military says the only practical implication from the suspension, which comes into force at 0001 Moscow time on Wednesday, will be that it will stop exchanging data on troops levels and halt inspections.

But a senior lawmaker with Kremlin ties said last week Moscow would not rule out increasing its troops levels later if NATO ramps up its forces in eastern Europe.

RUSSIAN UNEASE