Brussels, Mar. 6 : Perturbed by the recent terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has said that the situation in Pakistan is threatening, as it is facing serious internal security challenges.

Talking to NATO foreign ministers in a meeting here, Clinton compared the Lahore attack with the terror attacks on Mumbai, and termed it as an `eerie replica'of the 26/11 incident.

Brussels  - A planned system to defend the United States against missile attacks which provoked outrage and threats of counter-measures in Russia is a "very important" project, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Thursday.

Brussels  - There was a spring wind blowing in Brussels on Thursday as US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met NATO counterparts to discuss their problems with Afghanistan and Russia.

That atmosphere was mirrored inside the alliance's grim, grey headquarters building, as ministers lined up to hail the United States' new chief diplomat.

"There is a fresh wind in NATO," German Foreign Minister Frank- Walter Steinmeier said to describe Clinton's approach to diplomacy.

Brussels  - In a clear break with the unilateralism of the former US administration, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday pushed NATO to resume direct talks with Russia and said Iran could be invited to an international conference on Afghanistan.

"I came to deliver a clear message: the US is firmly committed to NATO, and the (Barack) Obama administration will work vigorously to renew real dialogue," Clinton said after her first meeting with fellow NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

Brussels  - NATO foreign ministers Thursday decided to re- open formal talks with Russia, six months after the alliance broke them off in protest at Russia's invasion of Georgia, officials confirmed.

"Russia is an important player, a global player. Not talking to them is not an option," said NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as he announced a decision to resume meetings of the NATO- Russia Council (NRC) after the alliance's summit of April 3-4.