美国总统奥巴马星期五抵达里斯本参加北约领导人的一个关键会议时承诺，在2014年北约结束在阿富汗的战斗任务后继续支持阿富汗。
奥巴马总统、国务卿克林顿以及美国驻北约最高指挥官彼得雷乌斯将军同阿富汗总统卡尔扎伊以及其他领导人抵达葡萄牙，出席为期两天的北约峰会。
预计阿富汗问题将成为北约这个有28个成员国的军事同盟峰会的首要议题。北约目前在阿富汗有13万驻军。
预计奥巴马将拿出一个明年开始的为期四年的撤军计划。与此同时，国际部队明年将开始把对阿富汗的控制权移交给阿富汗安全部队。
预计各国领导人将推出新的北约战略方针，其中包括更好的防御网络恐怖主义和弹道导弹袭击。
北约秘书长拉斯穆森把这次峰会称作是北约历史上最重要的一次会议。他说，会议将取得的一个重要成果是，北约将成为一个“更有成效、更积极参与和更高效率的”同盟，有能力对付自从北约11年前修改其使命以来已经改变了的安全方面的关注。
U.S. President Barack Obama, upon arrival for a pivotal meeting of NATO leaders on Friday, pledged to stand by Afghanistan following the end of NATO's combat mission in 2014.
Mr. Obama, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and NATO top commander General David Petraeus joined Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other world leaders arriving in Portugal to attend the two-day NATO summit.
The war in Afghanistan is likely to top the agenda of the 28-member military alliance, which has some 130,000 combat troops in the country.
Mr. Obama is expected to outline a four-year withdrawal plan for those troops, beginning next year as the international forces start to hand control of the country to Afghan security forces.
NATO leaders are also expected to unveil a new strategic concept for the alliance, to include stronger defenses against cyber-terrorism and ballistic missiles.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen calls the summit one of the most important in the history of the alliance. He said the key outcome will be a "more effective, engaged and efficient" alliance, capable of dealing with security concerns that have changed since NATO last revised its mission 11 years ago.
