国际英语新闻：NATO countries close to deal on missile defense

At a time of shrinking defense budgets, NATO says the costs will be minimal: 200 million euros (273 million U.S. dollars) over 10 years shared among all the allies, in addition to the 800 million euros (1,094 million U.S. dollars) already earmarked for the shorter-range system.

If, as expected, the NATO leaders sign off on the scheme during the first day of the Lisbon summit on Friday, the alliance hopes Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will agreed to cooperate with the missile defense program when he joins the talks on Saturday.

"By reaching out and inviting Russia to co-operate with us, I believe we also have a real chance to build a security roof for the entire Euro-Atlantic area," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday ahead of the summit.

Russia was vehemently opposed to a first version of the defense shield put forward by the Bush administration that would have placed a high-tech radar base in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland.

Obama has modified that plan in an effort to win Russia around, as well as assuring Moscow that the target of the proposed NATO shield is not Russia's nuclear arsenal, but the threat of an attack from Iran or elsewhere in the Middle East.

NATO will not, however, be naming Iran as its statement from Lisbon - Turkey vetoed that idea to avoid heightening tensions with its eastern neighbor.

Turkey - which has a key strategic position between Iran and the rest of the NATO alliance - also wants to be clearly represented in the command and control system of the missile shield.

The missile defense shield and the nuclear stance will be key parts of NATO's Strategic Concept, the first overhaul of the alliance's mission statement since 1999.

Other elements are expected to include a focus on new threats to energy supply lines and information technology networks and deeper partnerships with world players such as China, India and Japan - a reflection of today's global nature of security concerns.

Afghanistan is scheduled to play a central role on the second day of the summit with alliance leaders setting a target of 2014 for the handover to Afghan security forces for the lead role in combat operations against the Taliban and their al Qaida allies. Alliance officials insist, however, that the adoption of a roadmap for the transfer of responsibility does not mean that NATO is preparing to abandon the country, saying that significant numbers of international troops will remain as long as possible to train, mentor and support the Afghan army and police.