NATO "fully supports" American efforts to find peace in Afghanistan, the alliance chief said Tuesday after talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on a deal taking <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/us-to-withdraw-5000-troops-from-afghanistan-close-bases-zalmay-khalilzad-247234">shape with the Taliban</a>.

Pompeo met NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels as Washington tries to finalise an agreement with the Taliban after 18 years of war, under which the US would withdraw several thousand troops in return for security guarantees from the insurgents.

On Monday, a massive blast in a residential area of Kabul killed <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/death-toll-rises-to-16-more-than-100-injured-in-kabul-blast-official-247236">at least 16 people</a>, the third major Taliban attack in as many days, underlining the fragile security situation in Afghanistan.

NATO ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, handing security responsibility over to the Afghans, but maintains up to 16,000 troops on the ground to train, advise and assist local defence forces.

"Great discussion with @SecPompeo on current security issues. #NATO fully supports efforts to achieve peace in #Afghanistan. I condemn recent horrific attacks &amp; NATO remains committed to supporting Afghan forces," Stoltenberg tweeted.

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Great discussion with <a href="https://twitter.com/SecPompeo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecPompeo</a> on current security issues. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NATO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NATO</a> fully supports efforts to achieve peace in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghanistan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Afghanistan</a>. I condemn recent horrific attacks &amp; NATO remains committed to supporting Afghan forces. <a href="https://t.co/8Adf6vw4xd">pic.twitter.com/8Adf6vw4xd</a>
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/jensstoltenberg/status/1168786714485317632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Under the proposed deal, the US will pull troops from five bases across Afghanistan under a final deal if the Taliban honour their end of the bargain.

The official number of US troops in Afghanistan is 14,000 -- though the real number is thought to be a bit less -- and President Donald Trump last week said America would maintain a permanent presence of about 8,600 troops initially, even after a deal with the Taliban.

That suggests around 5,400 US troops are set to leave Afghanistan under the initial terms of the deal, reducing the US military presence to about what it was before Trump came into office.

In return for the troop reduction, the Taliban would vow to cut ties with Al-Qaeda and open negotiations with the Afghan government with the aim of creating an eventual ceasefire.

Pompeo's talks with NATO came as part of a two-day visit to Brussels, where he also met the new EU leadership including commission president-elect Ursula von der Leyen and incoming EU Council president Charles Michel.

Michel tweeted after their meeting that they had discussed "shared values and common interests".&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

NATO "fully supports" American efforts to find peace in Afghanistan, the alliance chief said Tuesday after talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on a deal taking shape with the Taliban.

NATO "fully supports" American efforts to find peace in Afghanistan, the alliance chief said Tuesday after talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on a deal taking shape with the Taliban. Pompeo met NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels as Washington tries to finalise an agreement with the Taliban after 18 years of war, under which the US would withdraw several thousand troops in return for security guarantees from the insurgents. On Monday, a massive blast in a residential area of Kabul killed at least 16 people, the third major Taliban attack in as many days, underlining the fragile security situation in Afghanistan. NATO ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, handing security responsibility over to the Afghans, but maintains up to 16,000 troops on the ground to train, advise and assist local defence forces. "Great discussion with @SecPompeo on current security issues. #NATO fully supports efforts to achieve peace in #Afghanistan. I condemn recent horrific attacks & NATO remains committed to supporting Afghan forces," Stoltenberg tweeted. Great discussion with @SecPompeo on current security issues. #NATO fully supports efforts to achieve peace in #Afghanistan. I condemn recent horrific attacks & NATO remains committed to supporting Afghan forces. pic.twitter.com/8Adf6vw4xd — Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) September 3, 2019 × Under the proposed deal, the US will pull troops from five bases across Afghanistan under a final deal if the Taliban honour their end of the bargain. The official number of US troops in Afghanistan is 14,000 -- though the real number is thought to be a bit less -- and President Donald Trump last week said America would maintain a permanent presence of about 8,600 troops initially, even after a deal with the Taliban. That suggests around 5,400 US troops are set to leave Afghanistan under the initial terms of the deal, reducing the US military presence to about what it was before Trump came into office. In return for the troop reduction, the Taliban would vow to cut ties with Al-Qaeda and open negotiations with the Afghan government with the aim of creating an eventual ceasefire. Pompeo's talks with NATO came as part of a two-day visit to Brussels, where he also met the new EU leadership including commission president-elect Ursula von der Leyen and incoming EU Council president Charles Michel. Michel tweeted after their meeting that they had discussed "shared values and common interests".

Committed to supporting Afghan forces: NATO chief Stoltenberg

NATO can look at the possibility of other Latin American states joining Colombia in becoming alliance partners, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, while appearing to rule out <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nato-treated-us-unfairly-says-trump-during-state-of-the-union-address-195468">US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's</a> suggestion that Brazil could one day become a full member of the North Atlantic security body.

"Until 2017, NATO didn’t have any partners in Latin America and then in 2017 we got our first partner, which was Colombia, and to be a close partner of NATO is something that is good for NATO and the partner country," the NATO leader said&nbsp;ahead of a NATO ministerial meeting in Washington.

"So of course, it is a possibility to look into the possibility of having also other countries in Latin America become partners which then provides a platform, a framework for close political and practical cooperation," he said.

At a joint White House news conference last month, Trump said he had told visiting <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bolsonaro-compliments-trump-who-replies-brazil-could-join-nato-204420">Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro</a> he would designate Brazil a "major non-NATO ally" and possibly go further by supporting a campaign to make Brazil “maybe a NATO ally,” something that would imply full membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

NATO membership is currently limited to countries of western Europe, Turkey, Canada and the United States, although NATO partner countries include Australia and New Zealand, as well as European non-members Sweden and Finland.

Ask if a country such as Brazil could become a member, Stoltenberg said:

"No. Partners are not members. But partners are very close partners. We work very closely with them, practically and politically, and that’s a very good way to strengthen cooperation with NATO and countries that are not members of the alliance."

Asked about Brazil becoming a partner, he said:

"Well someone has to propose it and it also has to be a request from Brazil, but ... we just agreed with Colombia to make Colombia a close partner with NATO and of course it’s absolutely possible to have more partners in Latin America, but it has to be an expressed wish from Latin America and of course (it’s) something we have to discuss then among the 29 allies."

Earlier Stoltenberg addressed the US&nbsp;Congress and delivered an impassioned defence of the partnership he called "the most successful alliance in history," which has often been derided by Trump since he took office in 2017.

Colombia reached an agreement in 2017 to become the only Latin American nation to join NATO as a “global partner,” a relationship short of "ally" status, which means it would not necessarily have to take part in collective military action.

Other NATO global partners apart from those mentioned by Stoltenberg include Afghanistan, Iraq, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia and Pakistan.

Becoming a “major non-NATO ally” in itself implies a status upgrade that would give a country preferential access to purchases of US&nbsp;military equipment and technology.

Supporting Brazil for alliance membership would be a considerable step further, one that Trump recognised would mean he would “have to talk to a lot of people.”

NATO membership is governed by Article 10 of its 1949 founding treaty, which limits invitations to European states, subject to the approval of existing members and meeting alliance criteria.

NATO can look at the possibility of other Latin American states joining Colombia in becoming alliance partners, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, while appearing to rule out US President Donald Trump's suggestion that Brazil could one day become a full member of the North Atlantic security body.

NATO can look at the possibility of other Latin American states joining Colombia in becoming alliance partners, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, while appearing to rule out US President Donald Trump's suggestion that Brazil could one day become a full member of the North Atlantic security body. "Until 2017, NATO didn’t have any partners in Latin America and then in 2017 we got our first partner, which was Colombia, and to be a close partner of NATO is something that is good for NATO and the partner country," the NATO leader said ahead of a NATO ministerial meeting in Washington. "So of course, it is a possibility to look into the possibility of having also other countries in Latin America become partners which then provides a platform, a framework for close political and practical cooperation," he said. At a joint White House news conference last month, Trump said he had told visiting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro he would designate Brazil a "major non-NATO ally" and possibly go further by supporting a campaign to make Brazil “maybe a NATO ally,” something that would imply full membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO membership is currently limited to countries of western Europe, Turkey, Canada and the United States, although NATO partner countries include Australia and New Zealand, as well as European non-members Sweden and Finland. Ask if a country such as Brazil could become a member, Stoltenberg said: "No. Partners are not members. But partners are very close partners. We work very closely with them, practically and politically, and that’s a very good way to strengthen cooperation with NATO and countries that are not members of the alliance." Asked about Brazil becoming a partner, he said: "Well someone has to propose it and it also has to be a request from Brazil, but ... we just agreed with Colombia to make Colombia a close partner with NATO and of course it’s absolutely possible to have more partners in Latin America, but it has to be an expressed wish from Latin America and of course (it’s) something we have to discuss then among the 29 allies." Earlier Stoltenberg addressed the US Congress and delivered an impassioned defence of the partnership he called "the most successful alliance in history," which has often been derided by Trump since he took office in 2017. Colombia reached an agreement in 2017 to become the only Latin American nation to join NATO as a “global partner,” a relationship short of "ally" status, which means it would not necessarily have to take part in collective military action. Other NATO global partners apart from those mentioned by Stoltenberg include Afghanistan, Iraq, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia and Pakistan. Becoming a “major non-NATO ally” in itself implies a status upgrade that would give a country preferential access to purchases of US military equipment and technology. Supporting Brazil for alliance membership would be a considerable step further, one that Trump recognised would mean he would “have to talk to a lot of people.” NATO membership is governed by Article 10 of its 1949 founding treaty, which limits invitations to European states, subject to the approval of existing members and meeting alliance criteria.

Possibility of having Latin American countries as partners: NATO chief

As Norway prepares to host the biggest military exercise in the post-cold war era on Thursday, Russia has warned that it is an "anti-Russian" exercise.

The Russian embassy in Oslo said: "Such activity comes across as provocative, even if you try to justify it as being of a purely defensive nature."&nbsp;

However, as Trump pulled out of the 1987 Nuclear Forces treaty(NFT) with US&nbsp;accusing the Putin regime of violating the treaty by deploying new cruise missiles, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hinted at "standing with allies" to counter any Russian threat.

The military exercise will involve 65 ships, 250 aircraft, 10,000 vehicles and 50,000 military personnel across 31 NATO countries including partner countries. “This is a strong display of our capabilities and of our resolve to work together,” secretary general Stoltenberg said while unveiling the plan.

Forces from US and Canada will also be involved in the exercise with&nbsp;aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman set to take part.

"Trident Juncture sends a clear message to our nations and to any potential adversary. NATO does not seek confrontation but we stand ready to defend all Allies against any threat," Stoltenberg declared.

Stoltenburg had earlier said: "I don't foresee that allies will deploy more nuclear weapons in Europe as a response to the new Russian (ground-launched SSC-8 cruise) missile, but I see - and that's what now is going on in NATO &nbsp;- is a need to assess the implications of the new Russian missile for our security."

"Russia now is in violation of the INF," he added.

The exercise is due to take place from October 25th to November 7th in central and eastern Norway including Iceland and in Finland and Sweden airspace.

Two Russian and two Belarus military observers have been invited to watch the manoeuvres. Stoltenberg said he hoped Russia would "avoid dangerous behaviour".

As Norway prepares to host the biggest military exercise in the post-cold war era on Thursday, Russia has warned that it is an "anti-Russian" exercise. The Russian embassy in Oslo said: "Such activity comes across as provocative, even if you try to justify it as being of a purely defensive nature.

As Norway prepares to host the biggest military exercise in the post-cold war era on Thursday, Russia has warned that it is an "anti-Russian" exercise. The Russian embassy in Oslo said: "Such activity comes across as provocative, even if you try to justify it as being of a purely defensive nature." However, as Trump pulled out of the 1987 Nuclear Forces treaty(NFT) with US accusing the Putin regime of violating the treaty by deploying new cruise missiles, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hinted at "standing with allies" to counter any Russian threat. The military exercise will involve 65 ships, 250 aircraft, 10,000 vehicles and 50,000 military personnel across 31 NATO countries including partner countries. “This is a strong display of our capabilities and of our resolve to work together,” secretary general Stoltenberg said while unveiling the plan. Forces from US and Canada will also be involved in the exercise with aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman set to take part. "Trident Juncture sends a clear message to our nations and to any potential adversary. NATO does not seek confrontation but we stand ready to defend all Allies against any threat," Stoltenberg declared. Stoltenburg had earlier said: "I don't foresee that allies will deploy more nuclear weapons in Europe as a response to the new Russian (ground-launched SSC-8 cruise) missile, but I see - and that's what now is going on in NATO - is a need to assess the implications of the new Russian missile for our security." "Russia now is in violation of the INF," he added. The exercise is due to take place from October 25th to November 7th in central and eastern Norway including Iceland and in Finland and Sweden airspace. Two Russian and two Belarus military observers have been invited to watch the manoeuvres. Stoltenberg said he hoped Russia would "avoid dangerous behaviour".

NATO chief says 'hope Russia will avoid dangerous behaviour'

NATO has expelled seven diplomats from Russia's mission to the alliance and blocked the appointment of three others over the nerve agent attack in Britain this month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

Stoltenberg said he had also cut the maximum size of the Russian mission to 20 people from 30, in the latest move by the alliance to reduce what was once one of the biggest national delegations at NATO.

"It sends a very clear message to Russia that it has costs," Stoltenberg said of the March 4 attack on a former Russian double agent and his daughter, which the West blames on Moscow although the Kremlin denies this.

Governments across Europe, the United States and beyond announced plans on Monday to expel more than 100 Russian diplomats in retaliation for the attack.

Stoltenberg said that three Russian diplomats seeking to come to Brussels have been denied accreditation, taking the reduction at the mission to 10,

However, Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, stressed that the alliance would still seek regular talks with Moscow via the NATO-Russia Council, a special forum that groups NATO envoys and Moscow's ambassador to the alliance.

The Russian mission is in the same compound as NATO headquarters in Brussels but Russian diplomats faced sharp limits to their access after Moscow seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. They mostly work now from Russian diplomatic premises in central Brussels.

In protest at the Crimean annexation, NATO decided to curtail access to the headquarters for all Russian accredited NATO diplomats barring the Russian ambassador, the deputy head of mission and two support staff.

NATO is awaiting a new Russian ambassador following the departure of Alexander Grushko, who was appointed deputy Russian foreign minister for European relations in January.

Following the end of the Cold War, NATO sought closer ties with Russia and included Russian personnel in its campaign in the Balkans in the 1990s.

But since Crimea, NATO has suspended all practical military and civilian cooperation with Russia, although it maintains political dialogue and has tried to restart military channels of communication, mainly to discuss the crisis in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg said he had also cut the maximum size of the Russian mission to 20 people from 30, in the latest move by the alliance to reduce what was once one of the biggest national delegations at NATO

NATO has expelled seven diplomats from Russia's mission to the alliance and blocked the appointment of three others over the nerve agent attack in Britain this month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday. Stoltenberg said he had also cut the maximum size of the Russian mission to 20 people from 30, in the latest move by the alliance to reduce what was once one of the biggest national delegations at NATO. "It sends a very clear message to Russia that it has costs," Stoltenberg said of the March 4 attack on a former Russian double agent and his daughter, which the West blames on Moscow although the Kremlin denies this. Governments across Europe, the United States and beyond announced plans on Monday to expel more than 100 Russian diplomats in retaliation for the attack. Stoltenberg said that three Russian diplomats seeking to come to Brussels have been denied accreditation, taking the reduction at the mission to 10, However, Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, stressed that the alliance would still seek regular talks with Moscow via the NATO-Russia Council, a special forum that groups NATO envoys and Moscow's ambassador to the alliance. The Russian mission is in the same compound as NATO headquarters in Brussels but Russian diplomats faced sharp limits to their access after Moscow seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. They mostly work now from Russian diplomatic premises in central Brussels. In protest at the Crimean annexation, NATO decided to curtail access to the headquarters for all Russian accredited NATO diplomats barring the Russian ambassador, the deputy head of mission and two support staff. NATO is awaiting a new Russian ambassador following the departure of Alexander Grushko, who was appointed deputy Russian foreign minister for European relations in January. Following the end of the Cold War, NATO sought closer ties with Russia and included Russian personnel in its campaign in the Balkans in the 1990s. But since Crimea, NATO has suspended all practical military and civilian cooperation with Russia, although it maintains political dialogue and has tried to restart military channels of communication, mainly to discuss the crisis in Ukraine.

NATO expels seven Russian diplomats, limits size of mission

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says security problems are undermining peace efforts in eastern Ukraine, as a routinely violated cease-fire barely holds in the separatist Donbass region.

Opening talks between NATO and Ukraine foreign ministers today, Stoltenberg said the security situation &quot;remains serious&quot; and &quot;hinders progress toward a political settlement.&quot; Stoltenberg says the cease-fire in Ukraine is being violated daily.

He said heavy weapons have not been withdrawn from the conflict zone as required by the Minsk peace agreement. A meeting last week of foreign ministers from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany intended to shore up the shaky peace process ended without result.

Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the lack of progress in settling a conflict that has killed more than 9,600 people since April 2014.

(PTI) 
&nbsp;

Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the lack of progress in settling the conflict in Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says security problems are undermining peace efforts in eastern Ukraine, as a routinely violated cease-fire barely holds in the separatist Donbass region. Opening talks between NATO and Ukraine foreign ministers today, Stoltenberg said the security situation "remains serious" and "hinders progress toward a political settlement." Stoltenberg says the cease-fire in Ukraine is being violated daily. He said heavy weapons have not been withdrawn from the conflict zone as required by the Minsk peace agreement. A meeting last week of foreign ministers from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany intended to shore up the shaky peace process ended without result. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the lack of progress in settling a conflict that has killed more than 9,600 people since April 2014. (PTI)

NATO chief laments 'serious' security problems in Ukraine

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