Chief: Success in Afghanistan crucial to NATO_English

STRASBOURG, April 2 (Xinhua) -- NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said here on Thursday that success in Afghanistan was crucial to the military alliance.

"We need to succeed in Afghanistan," he told a youth forum held before a two-day NATO summit on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the military bloc.

"Success in Afghanistan will have an impact on how NATO is perceived in the rest of the world," he explained.

Making it in war-torn Afghanistan would also help improve neighboring countries such as Iran and Pakistan, he added.

The U.S.-led military alliance stations as many as 70,000 troops under the name of International Security Assistance Force.

De Hoop Scheffer called for dialogue with Iran, saying that the Islamic republic "is an important neighbor of Afghanistan, and stability in Afghanistan depends to a large extent on stability in the region."

But NATO should not be involved in the Iranian nuclear dispute, he said in reply to a question.

On March 26, NATO confirmed to Xinhua that the alliance and Iran held their first secret and informal talks in 30 years in Brussels where NATO is headquartered, focusing on Afghanistan.

The meeting took place on March 9 between NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Martin Erdmann and Iran's Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union, Ali-Asghar Khaji, NATO deputy spokeswoman Carmen Romero told Xinhua.

"It was a very informal contact and they basically discussed Afghanistan," she added. "You know the secretary-general (Jaap de Hoop Scheffer) has said recently that Iran should be involved in a regional approach in regard of Afghanistan."

On ties with Russia, de Hoop Scheffer said: "We need to set our relationship with Russia back on track."

"If we disagree, and we do disagree ... we both stand to lose. Russia needs NATO, and NATO needs Russia," said de Hoop Scheffer, who will leave office in the end of July.

He said that "a fundamental difference of opinion" between NATO and Russia was the "occupation" of Georgian breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

NATO suspended direct talks with Russia after the Russia-Georgia military conflict in August, but they decided in December resume meetings of the NATO-Russia Council.

The first such meeting at level of foreign ministers was expected to take place before the summer.

NATO leaders from 28 member states will gather here and Germany's Kehl and Baden-Baden for a two-day summit on Friday-Saturday to discuss topics of its Afghan mission, ties with Russia, among others.

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