NATO chief to focus on Afghanistan, European security.

BRUSSELS, December 15 (Itar-Tass) - Afghanistan and European security
will be the main subjects of discussion during the upcoming first visit by
Anders Fogh Rasmussen to Moscow in his capacity of NATO's
Secretary-General. The visit will be also the NATO chief's first trip to
Russia since the conflict in South Ossetia, a press service official of
the Alliance has told Itar-Tass.
The official emphasized that relations with Russia are among the main
priorities of the Alliance. It is very important that a constructive
agenda is available. There is already a decision on joint analysis of
common threats, a 2010 programme for cooperation, a plan to reform the
Russia-NATO Council (RNC), including the setting up of expert thematic
working groups inside it.
At the same time, Rasmussen himself said differences still remain in
Russia-NATO relations. However, they must not be allowed to cloud the
entire spectrum of bilateral relations.
Ambassador Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's Permanent Representative at NATO,
has told Itar-Tass in comment on the forthcoming visit that this visit
will be made "within the political context of the initiative proposed by
US President Barack Obama to increase US military presence in
Afghanistan". The US earlier announced an increase in its military
contingent there by 30,000 troopers. Other NATO countries and partners for
ISAF are to increase the numerical strength of their troops there by 7,000
men.
Rogozin pointed out, "The purpose of all NATO efforts concerning
Afghanistan can be only to establish an efficient regime in Kabul that
would be ready to assume the entire responsibility for what happens in
that country as a whole".
"In this respect our positions fully coincide. The more so as Russia
as no one else is aware that no foreign country, however big, will be able
to settle all problems for the people of Afghanistan," he stressed.
Rogozin pointed out that the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe
"will also figure among points of discussion at meetings in Moscow". "We
are interested primarily in unravelments of the problems of flank
limitations," he said.

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