The expanding NATO alliance can be a bulwark for freedom without playing policeman to the world, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said as she neared the end of a European tour that included visits to both old and newer NATO members. "How NATO's role will evolve, I think, is still an open question, but we need to be open to new roles that NATO might play," Rice said Tuesday. She visits alliance headquarters Wednesday for an informal luncheon with NATO foreign ministers. Alliance officials said the visit would focus on preparations for a visit by President George W. Bush on Feb. 22, when he will hold a summit with leaders of the other 25 allied nations. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer wants the meetings to seal a new unity in the trans-Atlantic alliance following bitter divisions over the Iraq war. The talks are also expected to review NATO's peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo and its efforts to train Iraq's military. De Hoop Scheffer said last month's elections in Iraq - which were widely applauded in Europe - should boost allied efforts to expand its training mission. Alliance defense ministers are set to discuss expanding both the Afghan and Iraq missions at a long-scheduled meeting Wednesday and Thursday.
