Page last updated at 14:50 GMT, Friday, 4 April 2008 15:50 UK

Russia and Nato sign Afghan deal

A French soldier of the International Security Assistance Force on patrol outside Kabul, 2 April 2008
France has pledged more troops to Nato's force in Afghanistan

Russia and Nato have signed a deal allowing the alliance to transport non-lethal freight to Afghanistan through Russian territory.

A Nato spokeswoman said the agreement covered everything from food to certain military equipment.

Nato says the signing of the agreement was one of the main aims of President Putin's visit to the summit in the Romanian capital, Bucharest.

The Afghan leader, Hamid Karzai, welcomed the deal as significant.

Russia and Afghanistan have no common border so goods would have to travel through Uzbekistan.

The Uzbek president, Islam Karimov, has already told the Nato summit that he will allow Nato to send supplies through his country.

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