NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Saturday laid out priorities for the upcoming Chicago summit of the alliance, pushing for new commitments to Afghanistan and smart defense as a way to deal with fiscal restraints facing many NATO allies.

Speaking at a public diplomacy event in Chicago, Rasmussen said the summit will be about the alliance's future cooperation with Afghanistan, capabilities of the bloc as well as its cooperation with other partner countries around the world.

Rasmussen said the summit will take stock of progress in Afghanistan, and make sure it will not be a safe haven for terrorists.

He praised progress made by Afghan forces, which will take over command of combat missions next year and all security responsibilities by the end of 2014, when most foreign troops would be withdrawn.

Rasmussen said NATO will continue to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Afghanistan beyond 2014, and leaders will "align our commitments in Chicago."

The United States, which hosts the summit, has also indicated that commitments to Afghanistan beyond 2014 is a priority at the gathering of the 28 NATO members and 22 non-NATO countries that contribute troops to the NATO-led International Security and Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

U.S. President Barack Obama signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement with his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, earlier this month, and expects other partners to follow suit.

However, other countries may not be able to make such sweeping commitments to Kabul. France's new President Francois Hollande has said he will honor his campaign pledge to withdraw all French forces by the end of this year, although experts have noted it is logistically difficult, given the limited time left.

Luke Coffey, a security expert with the Heritage Foundation, said the NATO allies may not be able to resolve future assistance to Afghanistan in Chicago. Instead, they may pave the way for agreement at an international conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo in July.

Rasmussen also called for more international help, saying Afghanistan needs support from the international community in reconstruction and institution building.

NATO leaders are meeting at a time of great fiscal restraints, especially in debt-ridden European allies. Rasmussen acknowledged that paying for capabilities NATO needs in the future is not easy, and he identified smart defense -- essentially pooling capabilities in light of shrinking defense budgets -- as a way to deal with the current situation.

Rasmussen said the Chicago summit will adopt smart defense as an approach to make sure that NATO has the modern capabilities it needs for the coming decade and beyond.

Over 50 heads of state and government are convening Sunday and Monday in Chicago for the summit, with the issue of Afghanistan and NATO's future dominating the agenda.

NATO traditionally holds its summits in Europe. The Chicago summit is the first on American soil in 13 years.

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