Representatives of some 50 countries and organizations gathered here Thursday for a two-day conference on missile defense issues, at the center of which is the apparent divide between Russia and NATO over the planned European missile shield.

Analysts believe a compromise between the two sides is hard to come by in the near future, and the window for negotiations will be closed around 2017, when the NATO anti-missile system will have the potential to intercept Russian strategic ballistic missiles.

HUGE DIFFERENCES

Russia and NATO failed to reach any consensus over the issue since they agreed to cooperate on the European missile shield system in November 2010.

Speaking at the Moscow conference on Thursday, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said that talks between Moscow and Washington on the U.S.-led NATO missile defense plan are "close to a dead end."

Russia had proposed to build a joint missile defense system with NATO, which was rejected by the alliance because of alleged security reasons.

Russia believed the NATO system could threaten its own security, saying the European system could intercept all missiles launched from any place on Russian territory

Meanwhile, NATO insisted the system is not targeting Russia, but the military alliance has so far not issued any legally-binding document to guarantee that point, as demanded by the Russian side.

At the Moscow meeting Thursday, NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said the United States has agreed to make a political statement, a promise without legal effect.

Ellen Tauscher, U.S. special envoy for strategic stability and missile defense, said a missile defense cooperation deal between NATO and Russia must precede guarantees about the European system.

In response, Russian Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov warned his country could carry out pre-emptive strikes on future NATO missile defense installations in Europe to protect its security.

DELICATE TIMING

The timing of the conference, ahead of NATO's Chicago summit scheduled for May 20, is believed to be well planned, as Russia intends to use the occasion to further pressure the United States and NATO over the issue.

According to NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, at the Chicago summit, NATO will officially announce the creation of the first stage of its anti-missile defense system in Europe.

According to Washington, NATO's global missile defense system is due to be completed in four stages by around 2020.

Taking note of Rasmussen's comment, local analysts said Russia was worried about an irreversible course set at the summit, which directly threatens Russia's strategic interests.

Igor Korotchenko, chief editor of the National Defense magazine, attended the Moscow conference and watched a 3D computer simulation of Russia's nuclear strike against the United States.

The simulation, made by Russian military experts, "clearly showed that nearly all Russian missiles will be destroyed on approach by the U.S. anti-missiles," Korotchenko told Xinhua.

Like many other Russian analysts, Korotchenko said the window of negotiations will be closed in 2017, the year they believed that the deployed elements of the NATO system would be capable of intercepting Russian strategic ballistic missiles.

DIM PROSPECTS

Russian Defense Minister Serdyukov said at the Moscow meeting that the missile talks between the two sides were deadlocked, as the United States and NATO intend to continue developing a missile defense without properly addressing Russia's concerns.

However, he indicated Moscow is still hopeful to reach a deal with NATO over the issue. "We do not intend to impose our point of view, and we are ready for open dialogue," he said.

Meanwhile, Tauscher told reporters Wednesday that the United States does not expect any breakthrough on the missile defense talks with Russia this year, because 2012 is an electoral year for both countries.

Washington expects to continue its missile defense talks with Russia after Vladimir Putin is sworn in as president on May 7, she said.

Though the two sides have expressed their willingness for further talks, the prospects are not so bright given their disagreement on the issue.

Leonid Ivashov, president of Moscow's Academy of Geopolitical Problems, was skeptical about a possible agreement between Moscow and Washington on the missile defense issue.

The Moscow conference has demonstrated that reaching a consensus has become an increasingly difficult task as the 2017 deadline approaches, he told Xinhua.

While Korotchenko said that Russia has done its part, "now the ball is in the West's court."

"What the Western representatives have said at the conference was just a political statement with no constructive content. They just don't hear us," Korotchenko said.