NATO summit ends in Prague

The summit meeting of NATO leaders ended on Friday in Prague after two days of talks on the enlargement, transformation and modernisation of the alliance. At the summit, leaders of the 53-year-old Western defence organisation agreed to take in new members, create a new strike force, acquire new equipment and build new partnerships extending to Central Asia and the Caucasus.

On Thursday the alliance made a historic decision to invite seven former Eastern Bloc nations to join in a landmark expansion. NATO leaders also decided to create a rapid Response Force which is expected to be used in global anti-terror missions and operations against so-called rogue states, and agreed to back UN efforts to disarm Iraq. On Friday representatives of the 19 NATO states continued talks by meeting their counterparts from 27 East European and Central Asian nations that have partnership accords with the alliance.