EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - European, American and Canadian foreign ministers are later today (3 December) meeting at Nato headquarters in Brussels to discuss the new strategy for Afghanistan, Nato enlargement and relations with Russia. US secretary of state Hillary Clinton expects some of her European colleagues to signal willingness to increase their national contribution to the Nato mission in Afghanistan, after President Barack Obama on Tuesday outlined his new strategy for the country.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - European, American and Canadian foreign ministers are later today (3 December) meeting at Nato headquarters in Brussels to discuss the new strategy for Afghanistan, Nato enlargement and relations with Russia.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton expects some of her European colleagues to signal willingness to increase their national contribution to the Nato mission in Afghanistan, after President Barack Obama on Tuesday outlined his new strategy for the country.
The German foreign minister attends his first NATO summit in Brussels at a time when pressure is growing on Berlin to commit more troops to the mission in Afghanistan. US President Barack Obama's new Afghanistan strategy, unveiled earlier this week, is to top the agenda when Guido Westerwelle and his counterparts from NATO's other 27 member states meet in Brussels. European leaders were quick to offer verbal support on Wednesday to Obama's new plan, which includes sending 30,000 more US troops to join the fight against the insurgency by Taliban militants. But major NATO allies France and Germany put off committing any more troops until another conference set for the end of January.
US President Barack Obama's new Afghanistan strategy, unveiled earlier this week, is to top the agenda when Guido Westerwelle and his counterparts from NATO's other 27 member states meet in Brussels.
European leaders were quick to offer verbal support on Wednesday to Obama's new plan, which includes sending 30,000 more US troops to join the fight against the insurgency by Taliban militants. But major NATO allies France and Germany put off committing any more troops until another conference set for the end of January.
President Obama looks set to obtain the surge in troops requested of his NATO allies. Already more than 5,000 new forces have been pledged from 20 countries, with significant contributions from Italy and Georgia. At the NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday, ministers were able to state that they had already met the US President's request for additional troops. Following his announcement that the US would be sending an extra 30,000 soldiers to Afghanistan, President Obama asked his NATO allies to contribute between 5,000 and 7,000 more. 20 of the 43 member states have responded. "Based on what we have heard just in the last 24 hours, I think we can confidently say that we will surpass that number," NATO spokesman James Appathurai told reporters in Brussels. "We are beyond the 5,000 figure."
At the NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday, ministers were able to state that they had already met the US President's request for additional troops.
Following his announcement that the US would be sending an extra 30,000 soldiers to Afghanistan, President Obama asked his NATO allies to contribute between 5,000 and 7,000 more. 20 of the 43 member states have responded.
"Based on what we have heard just in the last 24 hours, I think we can confidently say that we will surpass that number," NATO spokesman James Appathurai told reporters in Brussels. "We are beyond the 5,000 figure."
Russia has also announced its backing for Obama's new strategy. At a press conference in Rome on Thursday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that his country was "obliged to help in Afghanistan." He announced that "we are ready to support the efforts of our partners ... there will be a contribution from us." Medvedev did not suggest that Russia would have any military involvement. Instead, he said that it would "guarantee the transit (of troops), take part in economic projects and train police and the military."
Medvedev did not suggest that Russia would have any military involvement. Instead, he said that it would "guarantee the transit (of troops), take part in economic projects and train police and the military."
