Rasmussen calls on all sides in Ukraine to engage in dialogue

BRUSSELS, Feb 26 (KUNA) -- NATO Secreectary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen Wednesday called on all parties in Ukraine to engage in an inclusive political dialogue which respects democratic values.
Speaking to journalists ahead of a two-day meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels, he said, "we are encouraged that violence has been stopped through negotiations. As Ukraine goes forward, an inclusive political dialogue, which respects democratic values, is key." "Ukraine is a close and long-standing partner to NATO and NATO is a sincere friend of Ukraine. We stand ready to continue assisting Ukraine in its democratic reforms," he said.
Rasmussen said that it depends on Ukraine to decide if it wants to join NATO and noted that the NATO summit in Bucharest in 2008 decided that Ukraine could become a member of the Alliance.
The Defence Ministers will discuss the situation and engage with Ukrainian officials in a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission tomorrow.
NATOs defence capabilities and the mission in Afghanistan are also top of the agenda at the ministerial which will help prepare the NATO Summit in Wales in September.
"Stronger partnerships will be an important theme at our summit in Wales in September and so will stronger capabilities. Both will make our Alliance ready to deal with the security challenges we face," stressed Rasmussen.
NATO defence ministers together with ISAF and Afghan partners tomorrow will discuss the progress of the ISAF mission and planning for a mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces after 2014.
"We all know the facts. If the Bilateral Security Agreement between the United States and Afghanistan is not signed, there will be no NATO Status of Forces Agreement with Afghanistan," he underlined.
"If there is no agreement, there will be no NATO troops in Afghanistan after 2014. Let me stress: this is not our preferred option, but these are the facts that we need to take into account in our planning. And that is what we will discuss at our meeting," he said.
"It appears the President Karzai is not ready to sign the security agreement. We are ready to engage with the new President after the presidential elections," said the NATO chief. (end) nk.mt KUNA 261708 Feb 14NNNN