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Obama: International community supports Afghanistan exit strategy
It is the first summit of the 28-member NATO on US soil in more than a decade, and comes as the 63-year-old organization confronts shifting 21st-century realities and shrinking defense budgets.
Despite France saying it would pull out its troops earlier than planned from Afghanistan, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen vowed: “There will be no rush for the exits. We will stay committed to our operation in Afghanistan and see it through to a successful end.”
But France has shaken up the carefully crafted withdrawal plan with new President Francois Hollande saying that he plans to pullout French troops by late 2012, a year earlier than planned.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday: “Germany supports NATO’s idea: We went into Afghanistan together and we want to withdraw from Afghanistan together.”
Apart from Afghanistan, Obama and his fellow leaders will take other key decisions, activating the first part of a missile shield for Europe, despite fierce Russian opposition and announcing a slew of military cooperation projects to cope with mounting austerity.
Karzai comes armed with a firm demand for US$4.1 billion (3.2 billion euros) a year to fund his security forces after the pullout.
The United States is expected to foot half the bill while hoping the international community will stump up the rest.
