Afghanistan

Bush in plea for more Nato troops

Article published on the 2008-04-02 Latest update 2008-04-02 14:40 TU

Le président américain G. Bush et son homologue biélorusse Alexandre Loukachenko.
(Photo : AFP et Wikipedia)

George Bush has called on NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan and make the Afghan mission a top priority, citing Osama bin Laden's latest threats to Europe.

Speaking ahead of Nato's key summit in Bucharest, the US President said the former Soviet states of Ukraine and Georgia should be offered membership plans.

Bush said that if the alliance did not stay on the offensive in Afghanistan, Taliban and al Qaida extremists would use the country to launch attacks similar to those on the World Trade Centre on September 11 2001.

On the eve of his last Nato summit, Bush lobbied fellow leaders for Nato expansion, a move backed by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

He said the alliance should be open to all European democracies - for now the former Soviet republics of Ukraine and Georgia but also others in the future.

Arguing against the concerns of France and Germany that opening the process to Ukraine and Georgia could harm relations with Moscow, Bush said a larger Nato is not a threat to Russia.