Munich, Rabi'I 21, 1434, Feb 2, 2013, SPA - NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen will Saturday call on US and European alliance members not to cut funds after it stops combat operations in Afghanistan in 2014. "We must build on what we have gained in operations such as Afghanistan," he was due to say, according to pre-released excerpts of a speech to be delivered at a security conference in Germany. "Not cash in what some perceive as the post-ISAF dividend," he says in the speech, referring to the International Security Assistance Force in the country. "In this age of austerity, that looks like an attractive option. But it would be the wrong option. Because security challenges won't wait while we fix our finances." The NATO secretary general warned that, while the US and EU struggle economically, "more cuts now will lead to greater insecurity in the future, at a cost we simply can't afford," according to a report of DPA. "We saw this after the Cold War, when we were ill-prepared to respond to the crises in the Balkans." --SPA 13:09 LOCAL TIME 10:09 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1074279