Ukraine, Georgia to be denied NATO MAP again - source
BRUSSELS, December 2 (RIA Novosti) - NATO members still disagree on whether to grant Ukraine and Georgia admission to the Membership Action Plan, a diplomat at the NATO HQ said Tuesday.
The military alliance is holding foreign ministerial meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday.
NATO refused at its summit in April to let Georgia and Ukraine into MAP, a key step for membership in the 26-nation alliance, but pledged to review the decision in December. The countries had received strong U.S. backing for their bids.
The diplomat told RIA Novosti that MAP would be postponed for the two countries due to concerns over political instability in Ukraine, and over the August war between Georgia and Russia.
However, he said NATO members welcome the countries' efforts to join NATO, and stressed that Russia will not be able to block any of the alliance's decisions.
According to various diplomatic sources, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg and the Netherlands believe it is too early to let Georgia and Ukraine into MAP. The United States, Poland and three ex-Soviet Baltic states support the two countries' bids.
Earlier Russia's NATO envoy, Dmitry Rogozin, also said it was unlikely that NATO would let Ukraine and Georgia join MAP.
He said the alliance would probably produce "some kind of a partnership declaration," to appease all the sides involved.
Russia strongly opposes NATO expansion into former Soviet territory.