2014 NATO Summit announced during discussions in Washington

By Nigel Chamberlain, NATO Watch

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen met the US Secretary of State John Kerry, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon and other senior US officials in Washington D.C. on Thursday (30 May). They discussed a range of issues on NATO's agenda, including transition in Afghanistan, regional developments and emerging challenges.

And that is all that was posted on the NATO website. An internet search did not reveal any details of the discussions the Secretary General engaged in on behalf of the 28 Member States of NATO.

Following their meeting at the White House the following day, President Obama praised Secretary General Rasmussen as an “extraordinary partner for us and, I believe, a great leader for NATO”. He said they had discussed Afghanistan and agreed to hold an extra NATO summit in 2014 “to underscore this final chapter in our Afghan operations, but also to paint a picture of a future whereby we’re partnering with the Afghan government on behalf of the Afghan people and on behalf of world security”. The President said:

One of the goals of a 2014 NATO summit would be to lock in some of the progress that’s already been made into a set of commitments that are clearly understood by all the NATO members, and I very much appreciate the work that Anders has done on that front.

Also discussed was the importance of continuing to improve NATO defence capabilities in a new world with new threats, “to build up greater and greater capacity and integration that requires burden-sharing on the part of all NATO members”. Improving joint surveillance capabilities, cyber security, Libya and Kosovo also got a mention from the President.

In his remarks, the Secretary General thanked the President for “strong commitment to a strong NATO”, adding that: “Through NATO, you get more value for money -- you get more security for money.” He spoke of NATO's plans for “an enduring partnership with the Afghan people”, the NATO missile defence system, cyber security and joint military exercises, training, and education. He concluded with: “Today, the President and I have discussed this vision of change from a deployed NATO to a prepared NATO”.

There was no mention of Syria in their brief public remarks but in an interview with CNN, the Secretary General said the ongoing crisis was very much on the agenda behind closed doors, adding: "We discussed Syria and both agreed that the best way forward is a political solution. I would urge all actors to refrain from steps that could be potential obstacles to finding a political solution.”

Rasmussen reiterated the White House position that United Nations inspectors must be granted access to Syria to assess whether chemical weapon have been used in the conflict. He warned of NATO's 'red line' – a Syrian violation of NATO Member State Turkey and endorsed Senator McCain's efforts in speaking directly to commanders of the Free Syrian Army. The Secretary General said: "I think it also helps to engage with the opposition. The opposition is split. There are also extremist elements within the opposition. So to engage with moderate forces within the opposition might be very helpful”.