Rumsfeld urges Europe vigilance

Mr Rumsfeld's message carried a stark warning

United States Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has warned that European cities could be targets of terrorist attacks similar to those which struck America on 11 September.

Speaking at a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels, Mr Rumsfeld said Europe should be braced for assaults by terrorists using everything from computer hacking to cruise missiles.

We need to face the reality that the attacks of September 11, horrific as they were, may in fact be a dim preview of what is to come

Donald Rumsfeld

He called on his European counterparts to spend more on developing Europe's defence capabilities and to pool their resources and expertise to counter the terrorist threat.

Nato Secretary General George Robertson, meanwhile, said the alliance planned to adjust its forces to allow for missions far beyond its own territory, Europe and North America.

Rumsfeld speech highlights

• Called for number of troops serving in Bosnia to be cut by a third to 12,000
• Welcomed closer co-operation with Russia, but stressed Nato independence must be retained
• Defended US plans to develop a missile defence system

The 11 September attacks could be the tip of the iceberg

The was the first attended by Mr Rumsfeld since the attacks on New York and Washington. Although it was held behind closed doors, the text of his comments was released to the media.

"We need to face the reality that the attacks of 11 September, horrific as they were, may in fact be a dim preview of what is to come if we do not prepare today to defend our people from adversaries with weapons of increasing power and range," he said.

Widespread threat

"As we look at the devastation they unleashed in the US, contemplate the destruction they could wreak in New York, or London, or Paris, or Berlin with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons."

Mr Rumsfeld stressed that Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, held responsible for the attacks in America, was not the only terrorist group and that Afghanistan was not the only country that harboured terrorists.

We cannot know for certain who will threaten us, or when and where they may strike

Donald Rumsfeld

"It should be of particular concern to all of us that the list of countries which today support global terrorism overlaps significantly with the list of countries that have weaponised chemical and biological agents, and which are seeking nuclear, chemical and biological weapons," he said.

Missile defence

Defending US plans to develop a missile defence system, Mr Rumsfeld said that while the 11 September was fresh in everyone's minds Nato should spend more on military forces and develop defences against "asymmetric threats" from terrorists.

"We cannot know for certain who will threaten us, or when and where they may strike," he said.

Al-Qaeda are not the only threat

Mr Rumsfeld welcomed Nato co-operation with Russia, especially on the war against terror, but stressed that Russia should not be given an automatic say in Nato affairs.

"Our goal should be to find concrete ways for Nato to work together with Russia where our interests coincide while preserving Nato's ability to work independently," he said.

In his speech Mr Rumsfeld also said the time had come to slash the Nato peacekeeping force in Bosnia by at least 6,000 troops.

He suggested instead that an EU-led international police force could ensure security in the Balkan country, where an 18,000 strong Nato force has kept peace for six years.

Military assets

"I believe that the time has come to fashion a new, restructured and smaller force in Bosnia - and to see that stability is preserved by assuring that a replacement capability is ready to take its place," Mr Rumsfeld said.

Mr Rumsfeld wants to cut 6,000 Bosnia peacekeepers

"We should commit to do so no later than 2002," he added.

A senior US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the call for restructuring was not directly related to the US war on terrorism.

But in his speech Mr Rumsfeld did argue that civil security is not an effective use of Nato's military assets at a time of growing demands from the war on terrorism.