NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday he believes "solutions" can be found in a looming showdown with French president-elect Francois Hollande over the country's withdrawal from Afghanistan, DPA reported.
Rasmussen said he briefly discussed Afghanistan with Hollande during a congratulatory phone conversation the day before.
During his election campaign, Hollande promised to withdraw all combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2012 - one year earlier than his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, had foreseen.
"We agreed to carry on the dialogue next week, after his (May 15) inauguration," Rasmussen said in Brussels. "I am confident that we can find solutions."
NATO has insisted that all countries have agreed to the principle of "in together, out together," with a full withdrawal of international troops not foreseen until the end of 2014.