Nato reassesses role after terror attacks

Nato Secretary General Lord Robertson today condemned the terrorist attacks on America as an affront to everything the 19-nation alliance stood for.

He called for a minute’s silence at the start of a heavily-guarded meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels.

British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon joined his counterparts for a reassessment of the Nato role in the wake of the atrocities.

A key issue is whether Nato should now enter a new phase in which it join the counter-terrorism campaign for the first time - a concept never envisaged when the alliance was forged in 1949.

In the wake of a new level of terrorist threat, the allies are likely to conclude that they must add counter-terrorism to Nato’s traditional military role.

Lord Robertson told the meeting: ‘‘These barbaric acts are an intolerable assault on humanity and the values we all share.

‘‘They are an affront to everything this alliance stands for and they are a direct threat to international peace and security.’’