Rasmussen congratulates Di Paolo as Italy's defence minister

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen Thursday expressed his "warmest congratulations" to the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, on his appointment as Defence Minister of Italy."As my principal military adviser, Admiral di Paola has, for the past 3 years, been an indispensable source of knowledge and expertise. His support for our joint efforts to reform NATO and its structures and ensure this Alliance is able to meet all the challenges it now faces, has been invaluable, " said the NATO chief in a statement."The Admiral's military expertise and diplomatic skills have also been to the benefit of NATO's partners and our outreach efforts. The increasing role which we see our partners playing in NATO operations is a testimony to the time and effort spent by the Admiral in developing these relations," he added.The new Prime Minister of Italy Mario Monti announced the formation of his new cabinet yesterday.