NATO seeks Alliance with China, India, Russia
Nato Chief seeks Global security hub :
GERMANY: The head of NATO said Sunday its troubles in Afghanistan
showed it was vital to boost ties with nations like China, India and
Pakistan and transform the alliance into a global security hub.
Drawing from flaws exposed in Afghanistan, where NATO is struggling
to hold off a Taliban and Al-Qaeda insurgency, Anders Fogh Rasmussen
said the military alliance should become a forum for consultation on
major hot spots.
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Security hub |
| *Troubles in
Afghanistan showed vital to boost ties with nations
* Military alliance should
become a forum for consultation |
“This is a key lesson we are learning in Afghanistan today ... we
need an entirely new compact between all the actors on the security
stage,” he said at a major security conference in Munich, southern
Germany.
“India has a stake in Afghan stability. China too. And both could
help further develop and rebuild Afghanistan.
The same goes for Russia. Basically, Russia shares our security
concerns,” he said.
NATO and its partners have more than 110,000 troops in Afghanistan,
but they have been unable to put down the insurgency more than eight
years after a US-led coalition ousted the Taliban from power.
Under a recent switch of strategy, almost 40,000 extra troops are
streaming into the conflict-torn country, aiming to protect civilians
and win their support, rather than hunt down fighters, many re-supplied
from Pakistan.
Following last month’s conference in London, the strategy also
involves a “surge” of civilian experts, backed by redoubled efforts from
major donors, financial institutions and bodies like the United Nations
and European Union.
“We cannot meet today’s security requirements effectively without
engaging much more actively and systematically with other important
players on the international scene,” Rasmussen said.
“The alliance should become the hub of a network of security
partnerships and a centre for consultation on international security
issues — even issues on which the alliance might never take action,” he
went on.
“What would be the harm if countries such as China, India, Pakistan
and others were to develop closer ties with NATO? I think, in fact,
there would only be a benefit, in terms of trust, confidence and
cooperation.” Rasmussen underlined that he did not seek to replace the
work of the United Nations, and his stance was backed by German Defence
Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.
Munich, Monday, AFP |
