Canada rejects NATO request for Afghan mission extension

The new secretary-general of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said earlier Thursday that he would like Canada to stay beyond the planned 2011 withdrawal date, according to Canadian media reports.

"Of course I'm not going to interfere with domestic politics in individual allied nations, but seen from an alliance point of view, I would strongly regret if that became the final outcome of the Canadian considerations," Rasmussen was quoted as saying in Afghanistan.

"At the end of the day it is a question of our own security -- we cannot allow Afghanistan once again to become a safe haven for terrorists -- and I also think it is in Canada's interest to ensure a peaceful and stable Afghanistan," the Canadian Television (CTV) and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) quoted him as saying; Kazinform cites Trend News.

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