| U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
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| | generally, this is a new concept. And I
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| will be in Italy Thursday and Friday for
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| | think we have two kinds of transformation
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| an informal meeting of NATO defense
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| | in the alliance, one physical and the
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| ministers that is expected to focus on
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| | other cultural. What do you do with the
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| final preparations for expanding the
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| | forces you have? What is NATO willing to
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| alliance's role in Afghanistan and for
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| | do with it? Are we really willing to be a
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| the creation of the NATO rapid response
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| | pro-active alliance, which I think is
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| force. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Al
| |
| | really the destiny of our future
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| Pessin will be traveling with the
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| | operations," he said.
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| secretary and filed this report on what
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| | General Jones said NATO has made
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| is expected at the meeting.
| |
| | important progress in developing creative
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| A senior defense department official who
| |
| | command structures and rules for
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| spoke on condition of anonymity says the
| |
| | participation in missions. The new
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| expansion of NATO operations in
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| | procedures are designed to enable the
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| Afghanistan to cover the southern part of
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| | organization to take on new missions like
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| the country will present more challenges
| |
| | the one in Afghanistan, and operate
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| to alliance troops. NATO activity in
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| | effectively, while still enabling members
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| Afghanistan has been in the north and
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| | to have some say over their own roles.
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| west, where the situation is relatively
| |
| | The other senior defense official, who
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| quiet, and troops have focused on
| |
| | spoke anonymously, said that is true for
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| stability and nation-building operations.
| |
| | the new NATO rapid response force. The
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| But the south has had increased insurgent
| |
| | official says the force will have a major
|
| activity in recent months, and the
| |
| | exercise in West Africa in June, and is
|
| official who spoke Tuesday said the NATO
| |
| | supposed to be declared operational in
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| troops will have to deal with that.
| |
| | October. But the official says NATO
|
| The deployment will add 6,000 troops to
| |
| | members have committed only about 80 per
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| the 9,000 NATO already has in
| |
| | cent of the troops needed for the force,
|
| Afghanistan. It was delayed by internal
| |
| | and Secretary Rumsfeld will be pressing
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| political debate in the Netherlands,
| |
| | for more commitments at this week's
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| which will provide a substantial part of
| |
| | meeting.
|
| the new force, but that dispute has now
| |
| | The official says the Italy meeting will
|
| been resolved.
| |
| | also include a session with the Russian
|
| The senior U.S. official says the NATO
| |
| | defense minister, and another one with
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| mission in Afghanistan must succeed in
| |
| | defense ministers from the seven members
|
| order to prove that the organization's
| |
| | of NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue group.
|
| reforms are succeeding. The official says
| |
| | In the Russia meeting, the official says
|
| reform will also be an important topic of
| |
| | the main issues will be the sharing of
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| discussion at the meeting in Italy,
| |
| | radar information, strategy for fighting
|
| including the need for the 26 NATO
| |
| | the drug trade in Central Asia and
|
| members to make their forces available to
| |
| | Afghanistan and concern over Russia's
|
| the alliance without too many
| |
| | recent withholding of natural gas
|
| restrictions attached. The official says
| |
| | supplies from Ukraine in a political
|
| progress has been made in that regard,
| |
| | dispute.
|
| but more needs to be done, and more
| |
| | The official says Russia and three of the
|
| members need to be convinced that NATO's
| |
| | Dialogue countries will participate for
|
| mission of providing security for Europe
| |
| | the first time later this year in a NATO
|
| requires more operations outside of the
| |
| | counter-terrorism naval operation in the
|
| continent.
| |
| | Mediterranean. The three regional
|
| In testimony before the Senate Foreign
| |
| | countries will be Morocco, Algeria and
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| Relations committee Tuesday, the NATO
| |
| | Israel, representing what the official
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| commander, U.S. Marine General James
| |
| | called a "not insignificant" moment of
|
| Jones, called for the same thing. "My
| |
| | cooperation between Israel and the two
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| feeling is, we're moving in the right
| |
| | Arab countries.
|
| direction. We need to accelerate it but,
| |
| |
|
