Europe reluctant to send troops to Afghanistan

By Ross Colvin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - European nations are unlikely to contribute more troops to Afghanistan, the head of the European Commission said on Tuesday, as President Barack Obama considers boosting U.S. forces there.

Polls in many European countries show clear majorities in favor of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, but the top U.S. and NATO commander there 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, with 21,000 troops combined.

"Honestly, in Europe there is not great enthusiasm for sending more troops to Afghanistan. That is the public opinion situation in Europe," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in Washington.

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

Barroso said he would discuss a comprehensive strategy that focused on improving governance and increasing training of Afghan security forces with Obama later on Tuesday.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who won a second five-year term after an election riddled with fraud, 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 a series of 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.

RESISTING PRESSURE

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

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs evaded questions at a briefing on whether Obama would unveil his decision in a speech but said he understood "it is important for the American people to understand why he has made the decision he has."

"I anticipate he will spend a little time walking the American people through (his decision)," Gibbs said.

After meeting Barroso and other European officials, Obama was to hold talks with Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Robert Gates in the Oval Office.

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