CHICAGO - NATO's top official says he was optimistic that Pakistan will re-open key transit routes to Afghanistan in the "very near future."
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the closure of the routes in November have not had a major impact on alliance operations in Afghanistan. But he says NATO will face logistical challenges as it draws down its forces from Afghanistan and will need a number of transit routes.
Pakistan closed the supply routes in November in response to a U.S. airstrike that killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers. The U.S. and Pakistan have been negotiating the reopening of the routes, but those talks are stalled.
Pakistan's president attended the NATO summit and met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but not with President Barack Obama.
