Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. NATO Ministers Agree on Afghanistan Drawdown Peter Fedynsky 23 April 2010 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, center during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Tallinn, Estonia, 22 Apr 2010 Photo: AP U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, center during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Tallinn, Estonia, 22 Apr 2010 NATO foreign ministers meeting in Estonia's capital have agreed to begin handing over control of Afghanistan to the Afghan government this year. During talks Friday in Tallinn, the ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, endorsed conditions for the transition of power. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said one of NATO's main goals for 2010 is to help the Afghan government exercise its sovereignty.  He said citizens in Afghanistan and in the countries contributing troops are demanding visible progress in that direction. He said the NATO strategy will be cleared with Afghanistan's government in Kabul before it is implemented. NATO has about 80,000 troops from more than 40 countries in Afghanistan. U.S. President Barack Obama has set a goal of beginning to withdraw American troops by July 2011. Rasmussen said the transition must be sustainable and irreversible once it occurs.  He said the alliance will first hand over responsibility to local authorities in places where conditions allow. He also called for 450 additional trainers to help prepare Afghan military and police to take over security control. He said the transition must be sustainable and irreversible where it takes place.  The Afghan government's past failures to deliver services and security in the areas freed from the Taliban are seen as a major threat to NATO's aim of cutting a foreign troop commitment for Afghanistan.  Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. .