NATO Chief Rasmussen Extends Mandate for Fifth Year

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has won a fifth year to lead the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Reports say Allies approved on Wednesday Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s fifth year in office.

His mandate will extend until July 31st 2014.

Today in Washington DC, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the United States congratulates NATO Secretary General Rasmussen on the extension of his mandate for a fifth year.

“This is a well-deserved acknowledgment of his outstanding leadership and tireless commitment to sustaining and strengthening the Alliance.” -Ms. Clinton

NATO
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a Danish politician, and the 12th and current Secretary General of NATO.

According to Ms. Clinton, NAO Chief Rasmussen also has overseen the development of a new Strategic Concept and a bold plan of action to ensure we have the tools required to confront a changing and uncertain landscape.

“We look forward to continuing to work with him in the years to come.” -Ms. Clinton

Rasmussen, 59, has served as Danish prime minister from 2001-09 and is NATO’s 12th secretary-general.

NATO is headquartered in Brussels. NATO was set up in 1949 as the United States bolstered Western Europe at the onset of the Cold War with the then communist Soviet Union

In March this year, the NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen met in Washington, DC with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta and National Security Advisor Tom Donilon discussed a range of issues related to the upcoming Alliance summit scheduled for 20 – 21 May in Chicago.

The meeting was an opportunity to discuss policy issues related to the Chicago Summit and beyond with representatives of the host nation. The Secretary General also met with Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and with Senator Lindsey Graham from the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The summit will focus on the Alliance’s commitment to Aghanistan through transition and beyond, ensuring the Alliance has the capabilities it needs to defend its population and territory and to deal with the challenges of the 21st century, and strengthening NATO’s unparallelled network of partners across the globe.

Since beginning its contribution to the mission in Afghanistan, NATO involvement has grown considerably. NATO’s International Security Assistance Force now has responsibility for the entire country, and consists of 36,000 personnel from 37 nations.

Mina Fabulous

Mina Fabulous follows the news, especially what is going on in the US State Department. Mina turns State Department waffle into plain English. Mina Fabulous is the pen name of Carmen Avalino, the NewsBlaze production editor. When she isn’t preparing stories for NewsBlaze writers, she writes stories, but to separate her editing and writing identities, she uses the name given by her family and friends.