NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rusmussen said on Monday thatthe security bloc has reached an agreement on the road forward inAfghanistan, and will lead a training and assistance mission in thecountry after 2014, when the alliance transfers securityresponsibility to the Afghan side. Rasmussen made the announcement to reporters after leaders of theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) met in the morning onfuture commitment to Afghanistan. According to the Chicago SummitDeclaration on Afghanistan released by NATO as Rasmussen spoke,after transition of security responsibility is completed at the endof 2014, NATO will have made the shift "from a combat mission to anew training, advising and assistance mission, which will be of adifferent nature to the current ISAF (International SecurityAssistance Force) mission." However, Rasmussen assured that it will "not be ISAF under adifferent name". "It will be a new mission with a new role forNATO." The declaration said NATO leaders agreed to work towardsestablishing such a new NATO-led mission, and will ensure that thenew mission has "a sound legal basis, such as a United NationsSecurity Council Resolution." While NATO transitions in Afghanistan, the Afghan National SecurityForces (ANSF) will be stepping up to take the lead in maintainingpeace and stability in that country. The funding for the force isanother major focus of discussions. According to NATO plans, the ANSF will achieve a surge strength of352,000 by the end of 2013 and remain at that size for two fullyears. With anticipated improved security, the ANSF force of 228,500 will have an estimated annual budget of 4.1 billion. NATO saidthe Afghan government has pledged to provide at least 500 million ayear for the ANSF beginning in 2015, and NATO and other donors haveagreed to provide significant additional funding, but failed toattach a dollar figure. "This summit has not been, and is not intended to be a pledgingconference," said Rasmussen, while acknowledging some countrieshave already made specific pledges of financial contributions. "I do believe we are on the right track to reaching the goal ofaround 4 billion U.S. dollars a year for the financing of Afghansecurity forces," said Rasmussen. According to the White House, the allies are looking forward to aninternational conference in Tokyo in July to provide for theAfghans. "On July 8 in Tokyo, we look forward to a meeting with Afghanistanand other international donors and hearing Afghanistan 's detailedplans for its future economic and social development, including thereforms required to increase economic opportunities, " said theWhite House in a statement. I am an expert from mifare-smart-card.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Wet Inlay Manufacturer , UHF Labels, Contacted Smart Card,and more.
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