Rumsfeld in Romania for Nato defence meeting

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is due to arrive in Romania today to visit an air base used by US troops during the war in Iraq and attend a meeting of Nato defence ministers.

Rumsfeld was to arrive in the Black Sea port city on Constanta to visit the Mihail Kogalniceanu base used by the United States to deploy troops and supplies during the 2003 invasion, Romania’s Defence Ministry said.

The Kogalniceanu base is one of the Balkan bases being considered by the Pentagon for training and rapid deployment of troops to conflict areas in the Middle East.

Tomorrow, Rumsfeld is due to meet Romanian President Ion Iliescu, Defence Minister Mircea Pascu and troops who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Romania, a close ally of the United States, joined Nato earlier this year. It has 700 troops in Iraq.

Rumsfeld will attend a meeting of Nato defence ministers at the mountain resort of Poiana Brasov on Wednesday and Thursday.

Ministers are expected to discuss the alliance’s role in Afghanistan, where it commands the International Security Assistance Force, and Iraq, where it has agreed to help train Iraqi security forces.