* NATO to hand security to Afghan forces over 4 years
* Alliance reassures Karzai it will not abandon Afghanistan
* NATO, Russia to agree cooperation on Afghan mission
* Russia invited to share in NATO missile defence system
(Updates after news conference)
By David Brunnstrom and Timothy Heritage
LISBON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - NATO endorsed a plan on Saturday to hand control of security in Afghanistan to Afghan forces by the end of 2014 and the alliance's leader said he expected foreign troops to cease combat operations by then.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai wants the handover completed before 2015, with a vastly reduced number of foreign troops staying in a training and support role, but some NATO officials fear a rise in violence could make it hard to meet the target.
NATO leaders backed the timetable on the second day of an alliance summit in Lisbon attended by the Afghan president and 48 countries with troops in Afghanistan, and said they would not abandon support for the Afghan government.
"Today marks the beginning of a new phase in our mission in Afghanistan," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
"I don't foresee ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) troops in a combat role beyond 2014, provided of course that the security situation allows us to move into a more supportive role."
Karzai told a news conference he also believed the handover, starting early next year, could be completed by the end of 2014.
"We are confident the transition will succeed to the Afghan authority, leadership and ownership, because I found today strong commitment by the international community," Karzai said.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon cautioned, however, that the handover must be shaped by the security situation and not by timetables.
"There are no short cuts to peace," he said.
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Graphic on Afghan forces http://link.reuters.com/zug36q
For a menu of stories on the summit, click [nLDE6AH21W]
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The conflict is widely seen as going badly for the United States and NATO, and is a tough political problem for U.S. President Barack Obama. Many countries want to withdraw troops gradually as the war becomes increasingly unpopular.
Obama, who has sent 30,000 more U.S. troops to the war in the past year to try to quell the Taliban-led insurgency, intends to start withdrawing some forces in July 2011. He also supports efforts at reconciliation with the Taliban.
Rasmussen said the strategy did not mean all 150,000 foreign troops deployed in Afghanistan would leave the country by the end of 2014.
"Let there be no doubt about our continuing commitment. Afghanistan's fight against terrorism is of strategic, global importance," he said. "Which is why we will agree here today a long-term partnership between NATO and Afghanistan to endure beyond the end of our combat mission."
RUSSIAN HELP
The U.S.-led intervention in Afghanistan began in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The United States and its allies invaded to overthrow the then-ruling Taliban, who had refused to hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
More than 2,200 foreign troops have been killed there in the past decade and the death rate is on the increase.
The withdrawal strategy hinges on efforts to build up Afghan forces so they can contain the widening insurgency, with a target strength of more than 300,000 by the end of 2011.
That has been hampered by high desertion rates, and the Kabul government is widely regarded as too corrupt, unstable and inept to survive long without foreign military support.
NATO will also seek Russian assistance during the summit when leaders meet President Dmitry Medvedev in Lisbon.
Moscow fought a war in Afghanistan from 1979-89 before withdrawing in defeat. It will not send troops to join the NATO-led force but is expected to allow equipment to go through its territory and provide specialised helicopters.
Russia is expected to sell 18 Mi-17 helicopters to the United States and lend three more to Afghan forces. The Mi-17 is better suited to operating in Afghanistan's high altitudes and cold weather than equivalent U.S. helicopters.
NATO will also invite Russia to take part in a U.S.-European missile defence system designed to protect against a long-range attack from the Middle East or North Korea. [ID:nLDE6AI1WB]
The NATO summit has also agreed a new strategic concept or mission statement to guide the 28-member alliance for the next decade. It reaffirms a commitment to a nuclear capability as long as such weapons exist, and aims to focus member states on 21st century threats such as cyber attack. [ID:nLDE6AI1XX]
(Writing by Luke Baker and Timothy Heritage; Editing by Peter Graff)
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