LOC19:52
16:52 GMT
(with photos)
BERLIN, Oct 22 (KUNA) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday it was
impossible to imagine the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) without
nuclear weapons.
But she said, in a joint news conference with NATO Secretary-General Anders
Fogh Rasmussen at the Federal Chancellery here, that the alliance will remain
a defensive one.
Rasmussen started a visit to Germany earlier today for talks Merkel and
Minister of Foreign Affairs Guido Westerwelle ahead of the NATO Summit, due in
Lisbon, capital of Portugal, on November 19-20 and the NATO-Russia Council
Summit in the same venue on November 20.
"The Lisbon summit will focus on the new strategic concept of the alliance,
" Merkel said.
"Though the NATO sticks to nuclear weapons, the upcoming summit will
explore new means of military deterrence to ensure the security and stability
of the western defense alliance," she pointed out.
As long as there are nuclear weapons in the world, the NATO has to keep
defensive capabilities. Only when the world is entirely denuclearized, the
alliance can take steps in this direction, Merkel explained.
Dealing with the NATO-Russia Council Summit, she said Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev would take part in the event.
She expressed relief over Russia's openness about the NATO plans to deploy
the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) in eastern European countries.
On his part, Rasmussen said the Lisbon summit would discuss several issues
including the war against terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan and the
possibility of handing over more security responsibilities to the Afghan
authorities.
The NATO mission in Afghanistan will prioritize the capacity building of
the Afghan military and security services, he noted.
During his talks with the NATO chief, Westerwelle asked for closer
cooperation between the alliance and Russia in such areas as the combat
against international terrorism and piracy.
On Thursday Germany announced plans to deploy extra 650 soldiers in
Afghanistan to back up its 4,500-strong contingent in the northern restive
region of Kunduz. (end)
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KUNA 221952 Oct 10NNNN