22-04-10 Nato must retain nuclear capability,says Rasmussen

Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said the alliance must retain a nuclear capability as long as rogue regimes or terrorist groups pose a threat.He called for a major review of Nato's strategy and funding to enable it to meet modern security threats.Mr Rasmussen made his comments ahead of a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in the Estonian capital,Tallinn.Nuclear policy,as well as missile defence,and relations with Russia and Afghanistan will be on the agenda.At a news briefing in Tallinn,Nato's secretary general said that while he shared the grand vision of a world without nuclear weapons,the alliance needed a credible nuclear deterrent."We must retain a nuclear capability as long as there are rogue regimes or terrorist groupings that may pose a nuclear threat to us."And for this reason we also need a credible missile defence system providing coverage for all the allies," said Mr Rasmussen.He also renewed calls for Nato to rethink how it is funded.Whereas members usually pay for any deployment of their own military forces or equipment,Mr Rasmussen said most operations should be financed by a centralised fund.