Brussels: Nato's secretary-general urged member states yesterday to endorse a proposed anti-missile system that would protect Europe and North America, saying that is the alliance's responsibility.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Nato's new mission statement — expected to be adopted at a summit of alliance leaders next month in Portugal — would focus on streamlining and reforming the organisation to deal with emerging threats.
"Nato's core task of defending its 900 million people will never change, but it must be modern defences against modern threats," he said.
Nato is proposing to expand an existing system of battlefield missile defence to cover the territory of all alliance members against ballistic missiles from nations such as Iran and North Korea.
Fogh Rasmussen has proposed that Russia also join the project, thus creating a network that would stretch from Vancouver to Vladivostok. The threat is clear, the capability exist and the costs are manageable," he said in his opening remarks.
"Starting today, Nato is in the sprint to the summit," he said. "The decisions we take in the next two weeks will shape the future of the world's most successful alliance," he added.
The US supports the missile defence proposal. But some governments have taken a dim view of a proposed anti-missile defence plan, citing high costs and saying the system cannot accomplish the role of a robust nuclear deterrent.
"We think missile defence is basically a good idea, but we also believe that matters like arms control should be and will be an important component," German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said.
Fogh Rasmussen's proposed system would integrate battlefield missile defence networks already in use in the US and some other allied nations to provide basic coverage from attack by ballistic missiles.
