Nato missile defence call

NATO’s secretary general urged member states yesterday to endorse a proposed anti-missile system that would protect Europe and North America, saying it is the alliance’s responsibility.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Nato’s new mission statement — expected to be adopted at a summit of alliance leaders next month in Portugal — would focus on streamlining and reforming the organisation to deal with emerging threats.

“Nato’s core task of defending its 900 million people will never change, but it must be modern defences against modern threats,” he said.