BRUSSELS, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- On his first day at work as NATO chief, new NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Monday outlined his priorities, vowing to build a "true strategic partnership" with Russia, to reaffirm commitments to Afghanistan, reduce NATO-led troops in Kosovo and to work on NATO's new strategic concept.I believe that during my term as NATO secretary general, we should develop a true strategic partnership with Russia. We should extend practical cooperation in areas where we share security interests," Rasmussen told reporters.He said NATO and Russia can work together on terrorism, Afghanistan, piracy and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.Rasmussen said differences between NATO and Russia should not poison the whole relationship."I am not a dreamer. It is obvious that there will be fundamental issues on which we disagree... But we cannot let those areas of disagreement poison the whole relationship," said the new NATO chief."My message to the Russian leadership and people is clear: let us build trust on cooperation and base our cooperation on shared interests," said Rasmussen, who replaced Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as NATO chief."NATO is really not an enemy of Russia, NATO is not directed against Russia," said Rasmussen.On Afghanistan, Rasmussen said the international community must prevent the Asian country from being again "the grand central station of international terrorism.""It will not be easy and the past month has made that bitterly clear. But it can be done and we will do it. Let there be no doubt about that," he said.NATO's immediate goal is to make the Aug. 20 presidential and provincial council elections credible, first and foremost in the eyes of the Afghan population, he added.The long-term goal for NATO, he said, is to help the Afghans take over lead security responsibility.During my term as NATO secretary general, Afghans must take over lead responsibility for security in most of their country... NATO must and will be there in support," he said.But he quickly added that the transfer of lead responsibility does not mean premature NATO departure, saying "Let no Taliban propagandist try to sell my message as a run for the exit. It is not. We will support the Afghan people for as long as it takes."Rasmussen emphasized the need to show the Afghan people and non-NATO troop contributors to the NATO-led international force "more light at the end of the tunnel."He said NATO needs help from other actors to succeed in Afghanistan.We can't do it alone. This has to be an international team effort -- military and civilian -- with more efforts from the Afghans themselves as well," he said.On Kosovo, Rasmussen said the NATO-led troops there (KFOR) could be significantly reduced or even completely withdrawn by the end of his four-year term.It is the first time that the alliance has indicated a timeline for the complete withdrawal of KFOR, which has been in Kosovo since 1999 after NATO airstrikes drove out Serbian forces from the region. "On Kosovo, my aim is clear: by the end of my term, I want to see KFOR reduced to just a small reaction force, or out altogether," said Rasmussen, adding "We should not stumble so close to the finish line. But I believe that conditions will in the foreseeable future be right to retire KFOR with success."NATO defense ministers decided in June to significantly scale down KFOR. Currently, the first phase of reduction is in process as each phase must be decided by the decision-making North Atlantic Council based on military advices.The target to reduce KFOR to 10,000 by January 2010 from about 14,000 at present is still within reach, NATO spokesman James Appathurai told reporters last Wednesday.Russmussen's predecessor Jaap de Hoop Scheffer had repeatedly refused to give a deadline for the complete withdrawal of KFOR, saying the troops would be there as long as necessary. NATO defense ministers envisaged a three-phase reduction within a time frame of two years starting from the activation of the first reduction. The final number they were looking at was around 2,200 troops, according to NATO officials.Meanwhile, Rasmussen refused to be drawn into a controversy that put his country in crisis with the Muslim world back in 2005 with the publication of 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Prophet Muhammad. Rasmussen said he considered the incident as a matter of the past. But he emphasized the need to enhance cooperation with NATO's Middle East partners, the so-called Mediterranean Dialogue countries.He said he will arrange individual meetings with each and every ambassador from the seven countries, namely Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.Rasmussen's hardline attitude toward the cartoons controversy sparked criticisms from the Muslim world and became an obstacle to his appointment as NATO chief. Turkey, a mainly Muslim country, finally dropped its opposition after it was assured of senior posts in the alliance. Rasmussen said Monday that he would do his utmost to deliver the promises. Turkey and Greece will be the two countries where he will pay his maiden visits in his capacity as NATO secretary general. Most importantly, his first practical move as NATO chief was the appointment of a 12-member expert group to work on NATO's new strategic concept, a guideline document for all activities of the organization. The experts, which will be chaired by former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright, will submit their conclusions to Rasmussen before consulting widely both within and outside NATO. Rasmussen will then lead negotiations with all NATO member countries. An agreed text will be adopted at NATO's next summit, which is expected to be held in late 2010 in Lisbon.NATO's current strategic concept was adopted in 1999. At their summit in April 2009, leaders of NATO countries deemed it necessary to rewrite the document as the alliance faces new security threats.
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