Context
The US president met with the NATO chief on Monday to discuss the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. President Barack Obama and NATO chief Fogh Rasmussen met in the Oval office to discuss the NATO summit which will take place in Chicago next year. The two also discussed the next phase in the country’s transition.
NATO’s ongoing Libya operations and the need to strengthen alliances with non-partner nations were also discussed. According to a White House statement, Obama and Rasumussen agreed that “by acting quickly and decisively NATO saved the lives of thousands of Libyan civilians.” Rasmussen is also expected to meet U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon and members of the Senate.
In last year’s NATO summit, NATO and Washington agreed to bring home troops from Afghanistan by 2014.
