Russia calls on NATO to cancel exercise

MOSCOW, April 18 (UPI) -- Russia's envoy to NATO called the alliance's upcoming military exercises in Georgia an act of "insanity" and called for them to be canceled.

RIA Novosti reported Saturday that the exercises will be held May 6 to June 1, and will not include light or heavy weaponry. The Russian news service said the envoy made his concerns known in a letter to NATO leaders.

"On Monday I addressed NATO (incoming) Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen with a letter asking (him) to cancel the drills in Georgia, due to start in early May. I believe this is absurdity and insanity," Dmitry Rogozin told reporters.

Among other reasons, Rogozin said the event should be canceled amid a lack of trust.

"It is provocational to rattle the saber near our borders until Russia-NATO military contacts are restored and until trust is restored between our sides," he was quoted as saying.

The secretary of the Council of Defense Ministers of the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States said Saturday he did not see why Russia is concerned about the exercises.

"These are not maneuvers, nothing terrible will happen. These will be procedural drills, procedural exercises," Lt. Gen. Alexander Sinaisky said. "In a word, this is political demarche on the part of NATO."

"Notwithstanding the negative perception by Russia, it will take place, and it is necessary to calmly deal with it," he said.

Sinaisky noted the exercises were planned before the August 2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia.

For his part, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said Moscow "will be closely watching" the drills and will "if necessary, make appropriate decisions."