German and French step up security ahead of NATO summit

German and French police have stepped up security, ahead of the NATO summit
on April the 3rd and 4th. Police expect more than 15-thousand people to join the
anti-NATO protests.

French riot policemen on Horses stand guard next to the "European Bridge" on the Franco- German border between Strasbourg in France and Kehl in Germany April 1, 2009. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

Bracing for the protests, space for more than 200 people has been added to
the detention capacity of police facilities in the summit region.

The summit, involving President Barack Obama and 25 other leaders, is in the
French city of Strasbourg and the German cities of Kehl and Baden.

Police say some 25-thousand French and German police are taking up positions
around three cities before the summit.

The US Embassy in France on Monday warned Americans to avoid the
demonstration area.