NATO leaders call for restructuring of alliance

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NATO leaders call for restructuring of alliance
By Kevin Dougherty, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, February 10, 2008

MUNICH — Representatives of the international community attending the annual Munich Conference on Security Policy this weekend reiterated the need to retune NATO’s political and military structures, with the NATO-led Afghanistan mission serving as a convenient refrain for a melody sung before.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer spoke of the need for new strategic thinking, be it in a distant land or closer to home. The observation had a familiar ring, he admitted, noting last year’s conference when he emphasized the need for NATO “to shape up for the 21st century.”

“We shouldn’t shy away from these things,” de Hoop Scheffer said, referring, in part, to the reluctance of some members to assume a more robust combat role.

With more than 3,200 soldiers in northern Afghanistan, a relatively tranquil area, Germany often has been cited as one of the countries that could do more. But a NATO official, who spoke on condition of anonymity during a break, identified Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey as some of the other members that could bring more to the fight.

Held at the Hotel Bayerisch Hof in Munich, the three-day conference has drawn more than 200 officials in the security and defense realm, from presidents and prime ministers to defense and diplomatic chiefs.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52356