Obama, NATO leaders cross Franco-German bridge

TRASBOURG, France – President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and two dozen other NATO leaders walked across a bridge separating Germany and France in a moment of unity Saturday before a summit likely to see disagreements about Afghanistan and the alliance's future.

The leaders met French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the halfway point on the Europa bridge spanning the Rhine river — a symbolic departure from the enmity that once tore apart Europe and a setting aside of current differences, at least for a few minutes.

NATO's ability to succeed in Afghanistan is seen as a crucial test of the power and relevance of a 60-year-old alliance founded to counterbalance the Soviet Union and now fighting a rising insurgency far beyond its borders. Merkel and Sarkozy have enthusiastically endorsed Obama's new Afghan strategy but European leaders and voters remain deeply skeptical about whether more troops can stabilize a country devastated by decades of war.

The European allies have pledged a marginal increase in forces ahead of Afghanistan's national elections in August. The Obama administration has said it cannot shoulder the military burden alone, but it is now pinning its main hopes on more civilian contributions from Europe, particularly police trainers.

At the summit's opening on Friday, Obama promised to repair damaged relations with Europe and asked for support of his new strategy, which has him adding 21,000 U.S. troops to the force of 38,000 struggling against Taliban advances alongside a like number of European, Canadian and non-NATO forces

Sarkozy said at a joint news conference with Obama Friday that France "totally" endorsed and supported America's new strategy, and would contribute with development assistance and more training for police.

After her own talks with the president, Merkel said: "We have a great responsibility here. We want to carry our share of the responsibility militarily, in the area of civil reconstruction and in police training."

The allies were expected to declare in a closing communique that they endorse a united way forward in Afghanistan, with more emphasis on nonmilitary aspects of the struggle.

But Obama said upon his arrival in Strasbourg Friday that Europe should not expect the United States to bear the combat burden alone.

"This is a joint problem," Obama said. "And it requires a joint effort."