NATO Allies gather in Washington to prepare Chicago Summit

  • 29 Feb. 2012 -
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  • Last updated: 29 Feb. 2012 18:56

The NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen met in Washington, DC with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta and National Security Advisor Tom Donilon to discuss a range of issues related to the upcoming Alliance summit scheduled for 20 - 21 May in Chicago.

Meeting of the NATO Permanent Representatives

The summit will focus on the Alliance's commitment to Aghanistan through transition and beyond, ensuring the Alliance has the capabilities it needs to defend its population and territory and to deal with the challenges of the 21st century, and strengthening NATO's unparallelled network of partners across the globe.

In a phone call with the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, the Secretary General encouraged the President to take all necessary steps to ensure violence comes to an end and to protect ISAF personnel from attacks. President Karzai provided reassurances in that regard. They also discussed preparations for the Chicago summit and the commitment of NATO and member states to an enduring partnership with Afghanistan.

The NATO Secretary General also chaired an informal meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the United States State Department and reviewed preparations for the summit. During the meeting, NATO Allies were briefed by senior officials of the United States. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss policy issues related to the Chicago Summit and beyond with representatives of the host nation.  The Secretary General also met with Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and with Senator Lindsey Graham from the Senate Armed Services Committee.