NATO draft mission statement keys on Afghanistan

BRUSSELS -- NATO must win the war in Afghanistan, expand ties with Russia and even China, counter the threat posed by Iran's missiles, and assure the security of its 28 members, according to the alliance's proposed mission statement for the next decade.

The draft document, released Monday, seeks to bridge a growing rift between the U.S., which favors a greater international role for NATO, and European nations that want it to retain its traditional defensive focus.

"NATO must be versatile and efficient enough to operate far from home," said former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, head of the team of experts who wrote the document. "

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will use the draft as a basis for a new strategic concept that will be submitted for approval at the alliance's next summit in Lisbon, Portugal, in November.

Founded in 1949 to counter the threat of a Soviet invasion, the 28-member alliance is in the midst of a mid-life crisis as it searches for relevance almost 20 years after the collapse of its communist rival.

"In today's world we may have to go beyond our borders to defend our borders. I can mention Afghanistan as a case in point," Fogh Rasmussen said.

"But Afghanistan is not a make or break situation for NATO," he said. "NATO is about much more than Afghanistan ... despite the fact that there is so much focus on Afghanistan right now."

The new document said the alliance should focus on improving ties with Moscow, which has helped NATO in Afghanistan by opening an overland supply route from Europe to that landlocked country. ---- NATO unveils draft of new mission statement

Hundreds more trainers in Afghanistan needed
Speeding medical evacuations to help wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan