Rasmussen to visit for talks on new direction for NATO

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is due to visit Turkey this week for talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu that are expected to focus on the alliance's new strategic concept. Rasmussen's visit comes as NATO considers updating its 1999 strategic concept to address the defense concerns of the 21st century. A draft of the document, prepared by a team of experts appointed by Rasmussen, is expected to be discussed at a summit of the alliance next month in Lisbon. Experts say that even if agreement is reached on the document at the summit, implementation of the new strategy will take time, as it needs to be approved by each of the 28 member states. Copies of the draft were distributed to member states, including Turkey, last week, setting into motion negotiations on what the final version should look like.