Geo 436 KABUL: Ministers have agreed on a NATO plan for the gradual handover of security responsibilities in Afghanistan to Afghan forces. Earlier in the talks, ministers discussed the withdrawal of nuclear weapons from Europe. NATO ministers agreed on conditions for handing over security responsibilities in Afghanistan to Afghan forces this year. The alliance stressed that the transition would be gradual and that it would depend on the conditions being fulfilled rather than a timetable. “It will not be a pullout. It will not be a run for the exit,” NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a news conference on Friday after the meeting of foreign ministers in the Estonian capital Tallinn. Rasmussen stressed there was a need for allies to provide more personnel to train Afghan forces. “What will happen is that we hand over lead responsibility to the Afghans and our soldiers will then move into a more supportive role,” he said. The handing over of responsibilities is important if NATO is to reduce its troop commitment – which currently stands at more than 120,000 – in the country. With more than 4,000 troops, Germany has the third largest military contingent in Afghanistan behind the United States and Great Britain. The first day of talks on Thursday was dominated by discussions about the US stockpile of nuclear weapons in Europe. Differences emerged between the United States and some European politicians such as Germany’’s Guido Westerwelle, who thinks the weapons are a legacy of the Cold War. “My personal view is: the presence of American nuclear weapons in Europe is an essential part of a credible nuclear deterrent,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said after the ministers” first round of talks. The 28-member organization is currently rethinking its entire strategy, and is set to establish a new official doctrine at a summit in November.
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