NATO Defense Ministers Meet on Libya, Afghanistan

Posted October 5th, 2011 at 3:55 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

NATO defense ministers are meeting Wednesday to discuss the alliance's ongoing mission in Libya, the war in Afghanistan and efforts to acquire necessary resources as members face budget cuts.

The talks at NATO headquarters in Brussels come as NATO warplanes continue to carry out airstrikes against forces loyal to former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the operation has been a “great success” and will continue as long as there are still attacks against the civilian population.

But he says the mission has exposed shortcomings, particularly among European members, when it comes to surveillance, intelligence and air-to-air refueling capabilities. The ministers will discuss resources Tuesday as many are facing cuts to their defense budgets.

They will also address progress in Afghanistan, where troops in the U.S.-led NATO coalition began transferring security responsibility in some areas to Afghan forces in July. All combat troops are scheduled to leave the country by the end of 2014, and Rasmussen said Monday he expects the next phase of the transition to be announced soon.

He said there has been “significant” progress in Afghanistan, and that NATO military officials say the insurgency there has been weakened.

The meeting is also expected to include discussion of Kosovo, where NATO peacekeepers clashed last week with ethnic Serbs at a Kosovo-Serbia border crossing.