EVEN as Nato this weekend welcomes France fully back into the command structure after a 43-year absence, and Croatia and Albania become the military alliance's newest members, there is no doubt this 60th anniversary meeting of a body designed to counter the Soviet Union has much to discuss.
Nato leaders have been reluctant to commit significant new military forces to the Afghanistan conflict despite Obama's plan to add 21,000 US troops to the force of 38,000 fighting the rising insurgency. The Europeans – apart from Britain, the Dutch a
nd the Danes – have focused on increasing humanitarian and development aid.
Spain said ahead of the summit that it will increase the number of soldiers it has in Afghanistan with a small contingent to help train Afghan army officers. Spain has 778 troops as part of the 55,000-strong Nato force.
And Belgium said yesterday it will add 65 soldiers to the force of 500 it already has in Afghanistan, and will send two more F-16 jet fighters, bringing the total number it has sent to six. Belgium will also double its financial aid to an annual 12 million (about £10.9 million) over the next two years.
The Nato allies are also eager to repair relations with Moscow after the freeze in August over Russia's war in Georgia.
The packed agenda also includes starting work on an updated doctrine that will define the alliance's role and values in the 21st century and choosing its next secretary-general.
The leaders may announce a decision on who will succeed Dutch diplomat Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, whose term as secretary-general ends on 1 August.
The Danish prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, is currently the leading candidate.
The full article contains 294 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
