Brussels
Former Dutch foreign minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer took over this week as secretary-general of NATO with a pledge to “build bridges” between the U.S. and Europe. The alliance was strained last year when the allies disagreed over the war in Iraq. But de Hoop Scheffer said NATO’s primary focus for the year wouldn’t be Iraq, where it has no mandate, but rather Afghanistan, where 5,500 NATO troops are working as peacekeepers. De Hoop Scheffer, who is replacing Briton George Robertson in the post, will also preside over NATO’s expansion later this year. The world’s largest military alliance will grow from 19 to 26 members with the addition of seven Eastern European countries.
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