By KUNA
London : British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was flying to Romania Wednesday for NATO’s biggest summit, urging more countries to send fighting troops to Afghanistan and facing a row over the alliance’s expansion to the east, British officials said.
Brown was missing his first weekly debate in the House of Commons since taking over at No 10 last year to arrive in Bucharest this afternoon in time for a series of key bilateral meetings ahead of the formal start of the talks, they added.
Both Brown and US President George W Bush are keen for more of the 26 NATO members to send combat troops and provide additional support in the battle against the Taliban.
They also want greater clarity from French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has said he is prepared to commit more troops if NATO agrees to certain conditions.
Brown’s official spokesman said “The main issues for us are Afghanistan, where we would like to see more burden sharing, and we are expecting more clarification from the French on their position”.
The Prime Minister is also keen to push an Anglo-French initiative for a “Helicopter Trust Fund”, he said.
This would mean richer NATO members paying into a pot allowing other countries to repair, refurbish and maintain their helicopters so they are fit for combat duties to aid operations in Afghanistan.
“This trust fund would be used to refurbish helicopters from other member states from NATO to ensure they are properly equipped to deal with the circumstances in Afghanistan”, said Brown’s spokesman.
On the continuing expansion of the 26-member alliance, the UK will back an invitation to Albania, Croatia and Macedonia to join, but there could be a row both within the alliance itself and with Russia over bids by Ukraine and Georgia to apply for the first stage of membership.
“In principle we are supporting the adoption of membership application plans for Ukraine and Georgia but need to discuss the modalities and exact timing with our NATO partners”, Brown’s spokesman added.
France has said it will oppose the two states joining NATO because it would upset relations with Russia.
Outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the NATO-Russia Council this Friday, the last day of the three-day summit, and is vehemently opposed to the two former Soviet states joining the alliance.
Today’s gathering of 3,000 delegates from both NATO member states and partnership countries represents the alliance’s biggest gathering, as it continues to expand from the original 1949 anti-Soviet alliance.
Meanwhile, the commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, US General Dan McNeill, said that more military resources were needed in the country.
The General said he understood his call was backed by leading NATO figures including Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
General McNeill told BBC radio “I believe the Secretary General, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, the head of the NATO Military Committee and at least one Secretary of Defence have also joined the chorus in saying that this is an under-resourced force and the Alliance has to do better in resourcing it”.
Asked what additional manpower and equipment his force needs, he said “When I am asked the question, I don’t particularly respond in numbers. I respond that we need certain kinds of capability”.
“We need increased numbers of manoeuvre forces, flying machines and intelligent surveillance and reconnaissance platforms”.
“I hope that the politicians and those who meet in Bucharest, those who make these decisions, will be generous and some more will come this way”, General McNeill added.