KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen ended his three-day visit to Afghanistan, meeting with top Afghan officials in his first trip as the NATO leader.
Rasmussen, a former Danish prime minister, took the helm at NATO on Aug. 1, taking the leadership from Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, a former Dutch foreign minister.
The new secretary-general laid out his policies on the NATO mission in Afghanistan, saying his forces would "help prevent Afghanistan from becoming again the Grand Central Station of international terrorism."
Rasmussen wrapped up his visit to Afghanistan, meeting with members of the Afghan Parliament, holding bilateral talks with Yunus Qanooni, the speaker of the lower house, or Wolesi Jirga.
Earlier during his trip the secretary-general met with U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top military commander in Afghanistan, who is set to call for additional troops to help train the Afghan army when he briefs U.S. President Barack Obama and NATO leaders next week.
Rasmussen backed those sentiments, saying, "We need to strengthen the military efforts to improve the security situation, but we also have to realize that there is no military solution, solely."
