NATO's former secretary general
has told Sky News that the Manchester attack illustrates the importance
of a coordinated international effort to tackle terrorism and
highlights NATO's reluctance to take on a counter-terrorism role.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former Danish Prime
Minister, was speaking as American President Donald Trump prepared to
sit down with European leaders for a key NATO summit in Brussels at
which they will discuss the Manchester attack."NATO could do much more to fight terrorists and prevent international terrorism from spreading," Mr Rasmussen said.
He told Sky News that President Trump's own demands for the alliance to increase its counter-terrorism capability and increase in spending by NATO members presented an incentive for reform.
"Mr Trump has a chance now, and at least in light of what's happened in Manchester that puts a lot of focus on international fight against terrorism as well." he said.
"There is a strange resistance within the alliance to actually engage in counter-terrorism and now the US has got a President who is in favour of strengthened NATO activity in that area so I think this is an excellent opportunity to promote counter-terrorism within NATO."
Mr Trump, who is on his first foreign trip as President, has been particularly outspoken in his criticism of NATO, describing it as ''obsolete' during his presidential campaign.
He recently u-turned on that remark, saying it is "no longer obsolete" but has repeatedly called for the alliance's members to meet their financial contributions.
Currently only 5 of the 28 members spend the required 2% of their GDP on defence.
Mr Trump has alarmed allies by suggesting that US military support may be conditional on them meeting the commitments.
The President has also called for the alliance to significantly improve its counter-terrorism focus.
Mr Rasmussen believes that Mr Trump looks at NATO in a "businessman's conjectural way" but that presents an opportunity to "hit two birds with one stone".
"You could increase counter-terrorism as requested by Trump, and at the same time, NATO allies could increase their defence investment. I think this proposal would put some meat on the bones - it would be a concrete step forward in counter-terrorism."
Speaking ahead of the NATO summit, Mr Rasmussen's successor Jens Stoltenberg defended the alliance's role in counter-terrorism.
"NATO plays a role in the fight against terrorism in many different ways. We are supporting already the global coalition to defeat ISIS.
"Many allies would like to see NATO as a full member of the coalition for two reasons: partly because it sends a strong and clear message of unity in the fight against terrorism and especially in light of the terrorist attacks in Manchester, I think it's important that we send this unified message."
The revelation that the Manchester bomber had recently returned from Libya is a demonstration that counter-terrorism efforts are only successful if they are international and coordinated.
Training local security forces in hotspot countries, like Libya, Syria and Iraq is key.
Currently NATO has a very small training mission ongoing in Iraq, described by one source as a 'handful', but nothing in Libya or Syria.
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Mr Rasmussen says NATO members have the expertise and the manpower to conduct effective training that would combat terrorism at its source but the alliance lacks the will and the funding.
"NATO should train and educate foreign security forces to fight terrorism. We could start in Iraq; we have some experience in Iraq because we deployed there in the past... That should be financed by a $1bn fund within NATO", Mr Rasmussen said.
Both France and Germany have been reluctant to expand NATO's remit, seeing it not as a 'first responder', but preferring instead to increase security efforts within the EU.
The President will hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and host new French President Emmanuel Macron for lunch at the US Embassy in Brussels before a formal NATO leader's dinner at the alliance's headquarters.
But Mr Trump's first meetings in his day of awkward diplomacy will be with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk.
During his election campaign Mr Trump questioned the point of the EU, supported Brexit and encouraged other countries to follow the UK's lead.
Mr Juncker said at the time: "If that continues, I'll call for Ohio to be independent and Texas to leave the United States."
Late on Wednesday night, Donald Tusk tweeted about the meeting, saying: "Tomorrow I'll aim to convince @POTUS that euro-atlanticism means the free world co-operating to prevent post-West world order."
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