EU:The US asked European states to provide more troops and aid for Afghanistan yesterday, warning of a "dangerous and bloody spring" offensive by the Taliban.
Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice made the plea after announcing a new $10.6 billion (€8.15 billion) aid package designed to bolster Nato's Afghanistan mission.
"We need greater commitments to reconstruction, to development, to fight the poppy economy. We need additional forces on the ground - ready to fight," Dr Rice told foreign ministers attending a Nato ministerial meeting in Brussels.
Her comments reflect growing US frustration at Europe's reluctance to send additional troops and equipment to fight resurgent Taliban forces in Afghanistan.
Despite persistent calls from Nato commanders for more troops, more military hardware and more economic aid to help reconstruction, EU states in Nato have so far balked at boosting their forces in the region.
France, which has 1,000 troops in Afghanistan, responded to the call by defending its role in the Nato mission. "We have 1,000 men [in Afghanistan]. I don't think anyone can tell us our contribution is insufficient," said French foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy.
Germany said that it was considering the possible deployment of Tornado jets to the south of Afghanistan. However, Dutch foreign minister Bernard Bot said that his country was already more than pulling its weight and Spanish officials ruled out providing additional forces.
The European Commission, which was represented at the meeting, announced a new aid package for Afghanistan for 2007-2010 worth €600 million, although this represents a reduction in its 2002-2006 aid package, which was worth €1 billion.
After the meeting, Nato secretary-general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said he was relatively optimistic that other nations would "step up to the plate" on extra troops and aid. But this would not be clear until a Nato meeting in Seville in February, he added.