NATO chief makes Afghanistan, Russia ties key goals

Anders Fogh Rasmussen took the helm of NATO on Monday with a pledge to prevent Afghanistan from once more becoming the hub of international terrorism and to build a new strategic partnership with Russia. Speaking to reporters, the new secretary-general said that troops serving in NATO's mission would help prevent Afghanistan from becoming again a grand central station of international terrorism. Rasmussen, who has a four-year term in office, said that the long-term goal was to move forward concretely and visibly with transferring lead security responsibility in Afghanistan to the Afghans. I believe during my term Afghans must take over lead responsibility for security in most of their country, he said. But any suggestion that such a strategy amounted to cut and run was pure propaganda, he added.