NATO secretary general visits Norway

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was visiting Norway on Friday for talks on the alliance's future development and current operations. Norway is on NATO's northern flank, sharing an Arctic border with Russia , and is a strong supporter of the Western alliance.

Photo: NATO secretary general visits Norway

During his brief stop in the Norwegian capital, de Hoop Scheffer was meeting Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, and other top political leaders. A Norwegian Foreign Ministry statement described the visit as part of a running dialogue with member nations.

It said key topics included preparations for an informal NATO summit in Riga , Latvia , in November; alliance operations with special emphasize on its role in Afghanistan ; expansion of the bloc; and military and structural reforms. De Hoop Scheffer was also delivering a lecture, titled "A New NATO," at the University of Oslo during the afternoon, reports the AP.

N.U.