( dpa )- On April 2, the heads of state and government of NATO's 26 member states are due to meet in Bucharest for the alliance's largest-ever summit, charting out its strategy in Afghanistan, Eastern Europe and the international arena.
With debate still raging within NATO over issues such as troop commitments in Afghanistan, membership invitations for Croatia, Macedonia and Albania, cooperation with Russia, and the strengthening of ties with Ukraine and Georgia, the summit promises to test the alliance's ability to forge consensus in the post-Cold War era.
And with foreign visitors set to include Russia's President Vladimir Putin , Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Afghan President Hamid Karzai , the summit gives decision-makers the chance to address the biggest issues of European and Asian security.
The package delves into the main challenges which NATO leaders will face at the summit, with a special focus on the alliance's key operation in Afghanistan. It will also address the divisive topic of relations with Russia, the debate over the membership aspirations of Ukraine and Georgia, and conflicting attitudes towards NATO enlargement in the Western Balkans.
dpa also provides extensive background on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as an alliance tasked with implementing the aims of the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed in Washington on April 4, 1949 of upholding international peace security and justice.
Included is background material with an outline of NATO's "comrades in arms" from countries in Europe and North America, its membership criteria and details of its operations.
The dpa International Service in English is offering advance coverage in the form of a special package will run on the wire on Monday, March 31 at 0500 GMT.