NATO’s Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says that the alliance goal is that the Afghan government should gradually begin taking over military responsibility of its country from 2011, and is expected to take over full responsibility by the end of 2014.

Fogh Rasmussen, who is on his first official visit to Denmark as head of NATO, says he hopes that the plans for a gradual takeover will be passed at NATO’s summit in Lisbon in November.

“I hope we will be able to take the decision at the NATO summit in November to begin the process of transferring responsibility to the Afghans in 2011,” Fogh Rasmussen says adding: “there is thus a schedule – or at least clear goals – so the process can start next year”.

Next year, Fogh Rasmussen says he hopes that Afghanistan will have trained some 300,000 soldiers. He also sees progress in Afghanistan, despite continued losses among the 120,000 international force in Afghanistan.

Alliance countries at the Lisbon Summit will be attempting to agree on the first new strategic concept for the NATO alliance since 1999.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen says that Denmark’s wish is that the new strategic concept makes it clear that NATO should combat out of territory threats, and that there are clear obligations so that NATO countries can convert forces from territorial defence to more flexible forces.

“And NATO should strengthen its cooperation with civilian actors. What we call concerted planning and action, which has been a Danish core priority for many years,” Løkke Rasmussen says.