WASHINGTON D.C., May 28 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell asserted that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will continue to expand despite Russian objections. The newly formed NATO-Russia Council, established at a summit outside Rome Tuesday, is set to meet for the first time after its inauguration next week in Brussels, a Russian diplomatic source said quoted by Interfax.

The Russian delegation will be headed by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, according to the source, who added the meeting Thursday, May 30, will focus on proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the global fight against terrorism, news agencies reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin joined U.S. President George W. Bush and leaders of the 18 other NATO nations in adopting the Rome Declaration at a landmark summit held outside the capital.

The declaration establishes a NATO-Russia Council in which Moscow will have an equal voice in decisions on such hot-button issues as terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, arms control, crisis management and military cooperation.

The new forum will be separate from the alliance's permanent ruling council and will not give Russia a veto in NATO's military affairs.

Russian media, meanwhile, blew cool on the joint Russia-NATO council believing that the West's proclaimed friendship was only "virtual" and that a true partnership was still a long way off.

"Russia and NATO enter a virtual friendship," the Russian daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta headlined, noting that "Moscow still has considerable differences with NATO," in particular the Alliance's eastward expansion to Russia's borders. "NATO is not really becoming friendlier with Russia," the paper said.

"This friendship is extremely dangerous (because) Bush's cordiality is creating pointless illusions in Russia," the financial daily Vedomosti opined.

"Washington plans to consolidate its position as the world's master and wants to deprive Moscow of its particular status," that of an influential "former major power," the paper said.

For the business daily Kommersant, "Russia will now have equal rights with the NATO countries, but only where it suits them." The paper believed it was "too soon to talk about total mutual confidence."

Within NATO, it said, "there are still voices which say caution is necessary as Russia could become a fifth column within the Alliance."

The Rome agreement was "mainly a statement of intent of only symbolic importance," while in Russia "there are a lot of politicians and in particular military leaders who still see NATO as an aggressive bloc planning on moving east," Kommersant said

Russian police used truncheons to break up a demonstration in Moscow by anti-globalization protesters Tuesday, arresting around 20 people, witnesses said.

The young and mainly left-wing demonstrators, estimated at around 70 people, lay down on central Pushkin square holding hands and were beaten by police trying to remove them.

The demonstration was called Monday by anti-globalization activists to mark a Russia-European Union summit but was later banned by the Moscow authorities.

Organizers said the ban was announced too late for them to cancel the rally.

The activists were also protesting against Russia's application to join the World Trade Organization, which they said could turn the country into a "capitalist testing ground."

Meanwhile, Powell said Tuesday that NATO will push ahead with its expansion despite Russian objections.

"As we have said all along, and as we have discussed with the Russians quite candidly, Russia cannot have a veto over who becomes a member of NATO or not," he said.

Powell made his statements in Pratica Di Mare, Italy, after the creation of the NATO-Russia Council, which will see the former Cold War foes working as equal partners in certain areas like nuclear non-proliferation and the fight against terrorism.

Nine central and eastern European countries will put forward their request for membership of an expanded NATO in Prague.

Powell went on to say, "Russia knows that these invitations will be extended at Prague, and nonetheless Russia is here today to participate in the signing of the NATO-Russia Council.

Monday, Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko repeated Moscow's official criticism of NATO enlargement, describing it as a "mistake."

But, deputy speaker of the State Duma lower house of parliament, liberal lawmaker Vladimir Lukin, hailed the accord as "a step forward in establishing a real system of security in Europe."

In addition, Bush on Tuesday renewed his call to Europe to modernize its military, saying "21st century threats" required an overhaul of European defense structures.

Speaking at the NATO Russia summit, Bush said, "all militaries need to be modernized to meet the true threats of the 21st century," adding that NATO Secretary General George Robertson agreed with him.

The Secretary General said it was crucial that the United States and NATO work together on how to jointly overhaul their military.

"The Europeans must do more - spend more and spend more wisely, and the United States must share technology and open export markets and encourage transatlantic reorganization," Robertson added.