The head of NATO encouraged an international panel today to be innovative in redefining the alliance"s mission to make it fit for 21th century challenges such as piracy, terrorism and cyber attacks, according to AP. The group of experts, led by former U.S. State Secretary Madeleine Albright, is working to update NATO"s mission statement, which was written in 1999. Their analysis should be delivered to NATO by May 1. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the panel, which was meeting in Slovenia, that NATO needs a new concept to «clarify our principal roles and missions in the 21st century.» The new concept should re-engage NATO governments, and the public in those countries, with the alliance, he said. There is increased skepticism in European countries over relevance on NATO, which was formed 60 years ago. Fogh Rasmussen said that NATO, the United Nations and the European Union should together identify priorities on which to focus their resources. He said one such area «clearly is Afghanistan.» Speaking after meeting Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor, Fogh Rasmussen said that, while NATO has not yet taken a final decision on the increase of troop numbers in Afghanistan, «reinforcements will certainly be required» for training Afghan security forces, state-run news agency STA reported. He said NATO"s main task now is to prepare Afghan forces to assume responsibility for security and order in the country. It"s «realistic» to expect that supervision of some parts of Afghanistan will be ceded to Afghan forces early next year, he said, according to STA. Slovenia, a European Union and NATO member of 2 million people, has 84 troops serving in NATO-led missions in Afghanistan.
