Hijja 1431 H. / 20 November 2010, SPA -- NATO leaders looked for a new start both in the alliance and in relations with Russia at a summit that ended Saturday in Lisbon, where they launched a string of initiatives for future cooperation. The Lisbon summit "adopted the new road map for the future, which will create NATO (version) 3.0," and set a "fresh start between NATO and Russia," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in two Twitter messages summarizing his view of the summit. Atop the list of decisions was a NATO call for the alliance to set up an anti-ballistic missile screen by bringing long-range US missiles to Europe and creating a computer programme to link shorter- range European systems to it. That decision "offers a role for all of our allies. It responds to the threats of our times. It shows our determination to protect our citizens from the threat of ballistic missiles," US President Barack Obama said. On Saturday, NATO leaders invited Russia to "explore jointly the potential for linking current and planned missile-defence systems," an invitation Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accepted. That decision met with thunderous acclaim, with Medvedev calling it "historic," Rasmussen referring to a "true turning point" and German Chancellor Angela Merkel naming it a "milestone."
