By Nawab Khan, KUNA,
Brussels : NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, said Tuesday that discussions in the 26-member western Alliance should not be confined to subjects of military relevance, but must include issues of broader political interest as well.
“Many here will know that I have long argued to put energy security on NATOs agenda. Of course, NATO will not take centre stage in this field, but the Alliance can provide considerable added value,” he said in a speech at an event organised by the Brussels-based think-tank Security and Defence Agenda.
The Alliance is also an “excellent forum for consultation on the most immediate risks that relate to energy security,” he said speaking on the topic NATO in the next decade.
He said NATO can engage in information and intelligence sharing, advancing international and regional cooperation and supporting the protection of critical energy infrastructure. Referring to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery means, Scheffer said, much will depend on how we resolve the two critical cases of North Korea and Iran.
Noting that there were no less than 32 failed states and referring to the growing power of non-state actors, the NATO chief said at least in some cases, outside intervention will be necessary to avert greater damage. “I am not thinking of a nuclear “9/11”, but a terrorist attack with a radiological weapon certainly can no longer be considered “science fiction,” he said.
Replying to a question during the QA session on recent criticism by Afghan President Hamid Karzai on the conduct of the war by NATO-led ISAF forces, Scheffer said it was “unfair to our soldiers.” He added that “there is no ground” for putting the blame on the 50 000 ISAF soldiers for the infiltration of Taliban militants from the borders of Pakistan into Afghanistan.