国际英语新闻：Russian government OKs Afghan transit deal with NATO

MOSCOW, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Russian government approved on Tuesday a new deal with NATO, allowing the alliance to transport supplies to and from Afghanistan through Russian territory.

The new deal allowed NATO to ship armored vehicles and other equipment from the region back to Europe using the same route via Central Asia and Russia.

Russia offered new extended arrangements to facilitate the transit to and from Afghanistan of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) at the recent Lisbon Summit. The existing agreement only allowed the alliance to transport non-lethal supplies such as food and fuel.

At the two-day summit of the 28-member military alliance, which wound up on Saturday in Lisbon, it was agreed that transferring of security responsibility to Afghan security forces from the ISAF will begin in 2011 and be completed by the end of 2014.