NATO chief arrives in Kabul on surprise visit

KABUL Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen arrived in Kabul on a surprise visit on Monday, the alliance said. He will meet Afghan leaders on issues of mutual interest.

During the trip, the secretary general will hold talks with President Hamid Karzai, other members of the government and representatives of civil society groups.

The visit was announced in a brief statement from NATO that gave no further details, but sources in Kabul said Rasmussen would discuss a number of topics with his Afghan interlocutors.

High on his agenda are issues such as ongoing security transition to Afghan forces, NATO’s new mission and the presidential election, to be held in 2014, one official said.

In October last, Rasmussen told reporters in Kabul the alliance hoped Afghanistan coalition would remain committed to Afghanistan over the longer haul, he said, while heading a delegation of the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s powerful decision-making body.

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