Nato to push for greater role in Middle East

[ze_dscherman]

Nato is making a push to become more involved in North Africa and the Middle East with a new strategy aimed at encouraging defence reforms and improving security in the region.


The plans, still in the early stage, will be discussed on Wednesday when Franco Frattini, Italian foreign minister, visits Nato headquarters to consider a greater role for the US-led military alliance in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East.

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"Nato will look at security and stability issues," said an alliance official. "In the ideal world, the EU's Barcelona process, a US reform programme that sought to engage and not impose on the region, and Nato could be part of the same triangle."


Italy has long championed closer relations between Nato and the Middle East, and was instrumental in launching Nato's Mediterranean Dialogue in 1994. That involved countries including Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

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