Russia and NATO to hold joint ABM exercise

MOSCOW, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Russia and NATO will hold a joint air and ballistic missile exercise, first deputy chief of the Russian General Staff Yuri Baluyevsky said Tuesday.

The exercise will be held in an as yet unidentified NATO country this year and in Russia during 2005, the Russian Information Agency Novosti reported.

Joint exercises need a good legal foundation, said the general.

"Particularly much is to be done within the framework of Russia-NATO interaction to ensure the compatibility of air and ballistic missile defense systems," Baluyevsky said.