NATO views Arab protests as indirect security threat

Berlin, Feb 5, (IRNA ) NATO has voiced ''deep concern''over the popular upheaval in several west-backed Arab states,warning evolving situation in North Africa and Middle eastcould eventually lead to a new world order.

Talking at the 47th Munich Security Conference, NATOSecretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, "As I speak,fast-moving events are unfolding in Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan,Yemen, and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa. Theoutcome of this turmoil remains unclear, its long-termconsequences unpredictable. But one thing we know: oldcertainties no longer hold, tectonic plates are shifting".

Rasmussen urged European NATO states to scrap plans tocut military spending in the wake of the mass protests in theArab world, saying what was at stake today was ''not just theworld economy, but the world order. (IRNA)