Source: BBC online

How will Nato exit from Afghanistan?

Nato’s secretary general has said at a summit in Chicago that he is optimistic Pakistan will reopen a key supply route to Afghanistan.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he expected such a move “in the very near future”.

The routes were closed after a US drone strike killed 24 Pakistani troops last year.

The summit of leaders from more than 50 nations confirmed its timetable for handing over security to Afghan forces and a full combat pullout by 2014.

‘Committed’

The nations represented at the summit include heads of state and government from the 28 Nato countries, along with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen denied that Mr Zardari had been invited to the summit to seal a deal on reopening the supply routes, saying: “We did not expect an agreement on Pakistan transit routes to be reached at this summit.”

Mr Rasmussen said the closure had so far not had a major impact on Nato operations but would constitute a logistical challenge when the draw-down of troops began.

He added: “We would like to see the reopening of the routes as soon as possible… the ones through Pakistan are of great importance and I would expect a reopening of the transit routes in the very near future.”

Mr Cameron said the situation was “frustrating” and that although he was confident the supply routes would be reopened, it was “not going to happen today”.

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