Brussels  - In a clear break with the unilateralism of the former US administration, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday pushed NATO to resume direct talks with Russia and said Iran could be invited to an international conference on Afghanistan.

"I came to deliver a clear message: the US is firmly committed to NATO, and the (Barack) Obama administration will work vigorously to renew real dialogue," Clinton said after her first meeting with fellow NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

"Smart solutions to shared challenges" involve talking to past and present foes such as Russia and Iran, and listening to Europe and regional players on ways of defeating the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, Clinton said.

But her first public speech in Europe as the United States' chief diplomat contained sticks, as well as carrots.

She cautioned Russia against selling long-range missiles to Tehran and insisted that a controversial missile defence shield in Central Europe was needed to counter potential attacks from terrorists and hostile states, especially Iran.

"Our task is to dissuade (Iran), deter them, prevent them from acquiring a nuclear weapon which, given the range of missiles they currently have access to, threatens Europe and their Arab neighbours," Clinton said.

The immediate result of this renewed engagement by the US with Europe was the decision by NATO foreign ministers to re-start formal talks with Moscow.

While insisting that "fundamental differences" remain, particularly over Russia's decision to invade Georgia and recognize its breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, "(NATO) ministers reached an agreement to formally resume the NATO-Russia Council (NRC)," said NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

NATO froze the NRC after the August invasion.

"Russia is an important player, a global player. Not talking to them is not an option," said the NATO chief as he announced a likely meeting of the NRC soon after the alliance's April 3-4 summit in Strasbourg and Kehl.

Clinton said Thursday's decision meant NATO would now enjoy "greater unity of purpose about how to build a constructive relationship with Russia."

The secretary of state also moved to reassure former Communist countries in Eastern European worried about a resurgent Russia, saying NATO was committed to protecting its member states and its allies from any attacks.

Lithuania had initially stalled any progress on Russia, saying the resumption of talks could undermine NATO's credibility at a time in which Moscow is tightening its grip on Georgia's breakaway regions.

Thursday's decision came as Georgian officials accused Russia of repeatedly violating the country's airspace, in a sign of the continued tensions in the region.

But by agreeing to resume the NRC, Clinton and fellow NATO ministers acknowledged that they need Russian help in providing alternative supply routes into Afghanistan, preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and stepping up the global fight against terrorism.

Clinton also made headlines by calling for a regional conference on Afghanistan that would involve all of the region's major stakeholders, including Pakistan, India and - possibly - Iran.

"If we move forward with such a meeting, it is expected that Iran would be invited," Clinton said.

The conference, expected to take place in a European capital at the end of March, is one of the first tangible signs of the US's willingness to review its strategy against the Taliban and offer a listening ear to other key players.

It would also provide a first opportunity for direct talks between the US and Iran after years of diplomatic deadlock over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.

Summing up her diplomatic message to NATO and allies alike, Clinton said: "We look forward to listening, to consulting, and to working in concert to devise and deliver smart solutions to (our) shared challenges." (dpa)