Paris  - France's return to NATO's military command structure was a decision of historic importance, the transatlantic alliance's new Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said Thursday in Paris.

"France's full return to NATO will improve transatlantic relations and strengthen NATO's international position," Rasmussen told journalists after holding talks with the French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The decision will also stimulate the development of a European security and defence policy, the NATO chief said.

France returned to NATO's military command structure in April of this year, 33 years after then president Charles de Gaulle limited the country's adhesion to the alliance.

A palpable sign of the new situation will come from the United States in the coming weeks, when French General Stephane Abrial becomes the first European to take over a key NATO command charged with military modernization, a post that has always been held by a US four-star general.

Sarkozy told Rasmussen that France will assume its full role in NATO with enthusiasm, particularly because of the planned reformulation of the alliance's strategy.

"NATO must reform itself to better confront the challenges of the 21st century," Rasmussen agreed.

However, Sarkozy did not directly respond to Rasmussen's request that alliance members commit more military troops to Afghanistan. The French president said that Paris wanted the Afghans to take over responsibility for their own security as soon as possible.  dpa