CANBERRA, Australia, April 1 (UPI) -- Australia will boost its links with NATO by posting a defense attache to the alliance's headquarters in Brussels and sharing counter-terrorism intelligence.
On the first visit to Australia by a NATO secretary-general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the alliance was no longer a Euro-centric organization, and that both NATO and Australia could benefit from closer links in dealing with global threats, The Australian reported Friday.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said cooperation would focus on global, rather than regional, security issues. He said a closer relationship with NATO would help the fight against terrorism.
Defense Minister Robert Hill said the changing emphasis of NATO, which provides security in Afghanistan and trains Iraqi personnel, meant Australia was likely to be working more closely with the organization in the future.
Scheffer earlier paid a visit to New Zealand and is headed next to Japan.
