Strasbourg, France, April 02, SPA --Success in Afghanistan and improvedrelations with Russia are vital to the future of NATO, dpa quoted the alliance'ssecretary general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, as saying today in the Frenchcity of Strasbourg. "We need to succeed in Afghanistan," since "success in Afghanistanwill have an impact on how NATO is perceived in the rest of theworld," de Hoop Scheffer told a group of students from around theworld on the eve of a two-day NATO summit in France and Germany. Succeeding in Afghanistan also means improving relations with thecountry's prickly neighbours, Pakistan and Iran, de Hoop Scheffersaid. In a speech titled NATO in 2020 - What Lies Ahead, the alliancehead also underlined the importance of improving relations withRussia. "We need to set our relationship with Russia back on track," saidde Hoop Scheffer, who will be stepping down from his post at the endof July.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/650508