Devil Soul
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Nato chief urges Pakistan cooperation
Published: December 08, 2011
BRUSSELS (Reuters/AFP) - NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged Pakistan Wednesday to cooperate with military operations in neighbouring Afghanistan despite a cross-border NATO strike last month that killed 24 Pakistani troops.
The attack sparked fury in Pakistan, which blocked ground supply routes for NATO forces in Afghanistan and pulled out of Mondays international conference on Afghanistan in Germany.
The only way forward is positive cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, between the United States and Pakistan, between NATO and Pakistan, said Rasmussen, repeating his regret for the November 26 incident.
I fully agree that at the end of the day we need a positive engagement of Pakistan if we are to ensure long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan, Rasmussen told reporters as he arrived for talks with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. I hope to see progress in our relationship. We have offered a political framework for cooperation between NATO and Pakistan, he added.
The NATO chief urged Moscow to refrain from wasting money to counter a European missile shield as alliance foreign ministers gathered to calm Russian fears over the system.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Brussels for two days of talks with her 27 allies that will also touch on tensions with Pakistan after the NATO raid on Pakistani posts.
Rasmussen said the alliance still wants to reach a deal with Russia to cooperate on the shield after President Dmitry Medvedev threatened last month to deploy missiles to EU borders.
Its a shared interest to protect our populations against a real missile threat, Rasmussen told reporters.
It would definitely be a waste of valuable money if Russia started to invest heavily in countermeasures against an artificial enemy that doesnt exist, he said, adding that Russia should instead spend in job creation and modernising Russian society.
NATO and Russia have been at odds over the missile shield despite agreeing last year to explore ways to cooperate in the system, which Western official insist is aimed at warding off attacks from Iran or other rogue states.
Moscow wants its former Cold War foe to provide a legally-binding document stating the system is not aimed against Russia, but NATO says it has made enough statements to that effect and that cooperation is the best solution.
NATO has also rejected Russias demand to build a common system that shares sensitive data and allows Moscow to have a say in when to respond to a possible attack.
They know too well what the situation is and unless they listen and hear what we are saying, I dont think we will be able to agree, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a visit to Lithuania.
Russias top general, Nikolai Makarov, warned that Moscow was being pushed into a new arms race although it does not want one.
Despite lingering suspicions between the former Cold War foes, Russia has allowed the alliance to use its territory to send vital supplies to troops in Afghanistan.
The transit route through Russia has become all the more important since Pakistan shut down supply lines in anger at last months deadly air strike on the Afghan border.
Published: December 08, 2011
BRUSSELS (Reuters/AFP) - NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged Pakistan Wednesday to cooperate with military operations in neighbouring Afghanistan despite a cross-border NATO strike last month that killed 24 Pakistani troops.
The attack sparked fury in Pakistan, which blocked ground supply routes for NATO forces in Afghanistan and pulled out of Mondays international conference on Afghanistan in Germany.
The only way forward is positive cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, between the United States and Pakistan, between NATO and Pakistan, said Rasmussen, repeating his regret for the November 26 incident.
I fully agree that at the end of the day we need a positive engagement of Pakistan if we are to ensure long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan, Rasmussen told reporters as he arrived for talks with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. I hope to see progress in our relationship. We have offered a political framework for cooperation between NATO and Pakistan, he added.
The NATO chief urged Moscow to refrain from wasting money to counter a European missile shield as alliance foreign ministers gathered to calm Russian fears over the system.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Brussels for two days of talks with her 27 allies that will also touch on tensions with Pakistan after the NATO raid on Pakistani posts.
Rasmussen said the alliance still wants to reach a deal with Russia to cooperate on the shield after President Dmitry Medvedev threatened last month to deploy missiles to EU borders.
Its a shared interest to protect our populations against a real missile threat, Rasmussen told reporters.
It would definitely be a waste of valuable money if Russia started to invest heavily in countermeasures against an artificial enemy that doesnt exist, he said, adding that Russia should instead spend in job creation and modernising Russian society.
NATO and Russia have been at odds over the missile shield despite agreeing last year to explore ways to cooperate in the system, which Western official insist is aimed at warding off attacks from Iran or other rogue states.
Moscow wants its former Cold War foe to provide a legally-binding document stating the system is not aimed against Russia, but NATO says it has made enough statements to that effect and that cooperation is the best solution.
NATO has also rejected Russias demand to build a common system that shares sensitive data and allows Moscow to have a say in when to respond to a possible attack.
They know too well what the situation is and unless they listen and hear what we are saying, I dont think we will be able to agree, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a visit to Lithuania.
Russias top general, Nikolai Makarov, warned that Moscow was being pushed into a new arms race although it does not want one.
Despite lingering suspicions between the former Cold War foes, Russia has allowed the alliance to use its territory to send vital supplies to troops in Afghanistan.
The transit route through Russia has become all the more important since Pakistan shut down supply lines in anger at last months deadly air strike on the Afghan border.
