Obama, EU press Karzai on Afghan government reform

* Obama, EU back plans for international conference

* Europe reluctant to send more troops to Afghanistan

* Obama to explain troop decision to American people

(Releads with post-summit declaration, Merkel)

By Ross Colvin and Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and European leaders pressed re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday to focus on good governance and other challenges facing his country and backed plans for an international conference on Afghanistan.

But European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said European nations are reluctant to contribute more troops, as Obama considers boosting U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

"We look forward to working with the new Afghan administration and renewing efforts to promote good governance, respect for human rights, gender equality and democratic development," Obama, Barroso, European Council High Representative Javier Solana, and Fredrik Reinfeldt, the prime minister of Sweden, which holds the EU's collective presidency, said in a declaration issued after a U.S.-EU summit at the White House.

"These could be supported at an international conference, possibly in Kabul."

International leaders have expressed support for Karzai since he was declared winner of an election riddled with fraud, but stressed that they need Afghanistan's government to be a credible partner as they weigh sending more troops to try to stabilize the country.

"Honestly, in Europe there is not great enthusiasm for sending more troops to Afghanistan," Barroso said.

European ministers have said they expect any new troop pledges may come when NATO foreign ministers meet in December.

The summit declaration congratulated Karzai on his re-election, and said, "We look forward to the formation of a new government, representing the will of the Afghan people. We encourage the new government to swiftly develop an agenda focused on the serious challenges facing Afghanistan."

The leaders agreed to help the Kabul government take responsibility for delivering better security and stability for the Afghan people, the declaration said.

'FIGHTING CORRUPTION'

Karzai heard first-hand from Obama in a phone call on Monday that Washington expects him to fight corruption and form a more inclusive government.

"We want to see who he is going to have in his government," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly reiterated on Tuesday. "One area that we will be looking to help him with is improving good governance, which means fighting corruption."

Obama has been holding meetings with his security team to review U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and consider a request by his top military commander there, General Stanley McChrystal, for more troops.

Obama has resisted pressure to move faster. While the White House has repeatedly stressed that he is looking at a broad change in strategy, the U.S. media has mostly focused on how many more troops may be sent to an increasingly unpopular war.

Polls in many European countries show clear majorities in favor of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, but McChrystal has recommended boosting the number of foreign forces by up to 40,000 as part of a new strategy to combat a resurgent Taliban and al Qaeda.

There are some 67,000 U.S. troops and 42,000 from allied nations currently in Afghanistan. Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Poland are the largest European contributors.

Obama also held talks with Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Robert Gates in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

Gibbs said Obama would also hold an eighth meeting with his security team on Afghanistan in the next few days.

He said Obama was still weeks away from settling on his new strategy, suggesting that the president will not unveil it before he embarks on his 10-day trip to Asia next week.

In September, the leaders of France, Britain and Germany wrote to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon proposing a conference of major donors once a new Afghan government was formed and any new agreement could be publicly launched then.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday in an address to the U.S. Congress that she expected a U.N. conference early next year. (Additional reporting by Sue Pleming, editing by Eric Beech) (For more stories on Afghanistan, click [ID:nAFPAK])