Obama to sell Afghan strategy to Nato

Strasbourg: Putting his stamp on Nato's drive to set a new course in Afghanistan, US President Barack Obama on Fridayhoped that the warm reception he was given by waiting crowds as he was about to meet his French host Nicolas Sarkozy would be repeated by the other leaders of the member states of the world's "most successful alliance in modern history."

Making his debut appearance on the Nato stage and fresh from ostensibly successful Group of 20 summit agreements in London on a deal to tackle the global economic crisis, Obama is expecting that the Nato meeting will embrace his new strategy in the war in Afghanistan.

The strategy to be highlighted at the summit - opening with a working dinner in the German city of Baden Baden shortly after 8pm - will seek to improve and expand the Afghan security forces while training them in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations with less Western support.

The United States and its Nato allies are also putting pressure on Pakistan to improve its record in the fight against Al Qaida.

While promising aid. Obama, however, told Pakistan it would have to help the United States clamp down on extremists. He insisted that Pakistan had to do more.

"It is important for the American people to understand that Pakistan needs our help in going after Al Qaida. After years of mixed results, we will not provide a blank cheque," he said

The summit is unlikely to choose a successor to Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the current secretary general, with Turkey, the only Muslim Nato member, remaining cold to the nomination of Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Turkey is peeved at Rasmussen's perceived failure to handle the anti-Islam cartoon crisis and Denmark's inability to ban a television station the Turkish authorities say has links with terror organisation, the PKK.

Rasmussen was criticised by Muslims worldwide for refusing to meet the ambassadors of 11 Muslim countries who asked to meet him to discuss ways of calming rising anger in their home countries following the publication of anti-Islamic cartoons by a Danish newspaper in 2005.

On Friday, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said that he doubted Rasmussen could contribute to global peace.

"In all honesty, my personal opinion is negative," he said. "How can those who have failed to contribute to peace, contribute to peace in the future? We have doubts...," he said.

Other contenders for the Nato post are Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and former British Defence Secretary Des Browne.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Friday ruled himself out of the race for Nato's top post.