"The Russian military structure does not want reform, although it is necessary that this be done," said Chris Donnelly, special advisor to NATO Secretary General George Robertson.

"This is why there remain problems in finding general points of cooperation," said Donnelly, in remarks quoted in Russian by the Interfax news agency.

Russia has been trying to reform its chronically underfunded and violence-ridden armed services since the mid-1990s, but reforms aiming to scale back the 1.1 million-strong military have faced a series of setbacks.

The current plan envisages a small professional force as the backbone of the country's defenses set up by 2007, leaving the highly unpopular draft process almost completely intact.

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to press ahead with reforms in his state-of-the-nation speech last month.

He faces stiff resistance from hawkish army generals trained in the Soviet era who fear the military will collapse without conscription, knowing that few would probably choose to serve in an armed forces where bullying is rampant and service in hotspots like Chechnya is on the cards.

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