Rumsfeld cancels plans to join Bush at NATO summit

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has dropped plans to join President George Bush at a Nato summit this month in Latvia, in light of his announced resignation, a Rumsfeld spokesman said today.

Eric Ruff, the Pentagon press secretary, said the deputy secretary of defence, Gordon England, might represent the Pentagon in Rumsfeld's place.

Rumsfeld held a series of meetings at the Pentagon in recent weeks with his counterparts from Nato countries, in preparation for the summit meeting, but now that he is leaving office he has cancelled plans to meet here with German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung, Ruff said.

The Nato summit is on November 28-29 in the Latvian capital of Riga.

Ruff reaffirmed that Rumsfeld plans to remain at the Pentagon until his successor is confirmed by the Senate. Bush last week announced that he would nominate former CIA director Robert M. Gates to replace Rumsfeld, but no confirmation hearing date has been announced. Ruff said it could happen as early as the week of December 4.

The Pentagon has refused to release the letter of resignation that Rumsfeld submitted to Bush.

Ruff said Gates and Rumsfeld might have a discussion later this week about the coming transition, but he had no specifics.