US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Thursday for a high-level conference on Afghanistan on March 31, as Washington winds up a review of how to combat the Taliban-led insurgency.
"The United States proposes a ministerial-level conference on Afghanistan and the broader regional challenge on March 31," she told NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
"We are in the process of discussing with the UN the possibility that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon could open the conference and that his special representative for Afghanistan Kai Eide could chair the meeting."
She did not say where the meeting would be held, but that Afghan and Pakistani officials would be invited, with NATO allies, financial contributors, international organisations and "key regional and strategic" nations.
It would take place days before a summit of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation leaders in early April.
The United States and its NATO allies are battling to halt an insurgency that has severely dented their efforts to spread democracy and foster reconstruction throughout Afghanistan.
President Barack Obama has demanded a strategy review focused on fighting extremism in the strife-torn country, where he is deploying 17,000 extra troops, and in neighbouring Pakistan as he winds down US involvement in Iraq.
In Afghanistan, "we have a common threat. A common challenge. And a comon responsibility," Clinton said.
"We must add resources to address the serious situation on the ground right now. President Obama has committed 17,000 more troops, and we appreciate that some countries are giving more."
But she added: "We must also increase development aid and provide support to help train and build the Afghan army and police to take on the responsibility of keeping the Afghan people safe and secure."
Many European allies remain reluctant to send more troops and equipment to the south of Afghanistan, where the insurgency is at its worst, and their reticence is straining the alliance.
But Washington hopes those who will not stump up military resources might reach deeper into their pockets, or help promote democracy or provide training.
The European Union, for its part, is providing Afghanistan with some eight billion euros over the 2001-2010 period and is helping train the Afghan police, although it is struggling to find the necessary trainers.
However EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Europe could do more.
"There is a lot that can be done, it is not only militarily. It is not a military problem only," he said, as he arrived for the talks.
"We can do probably more on police, on reconstruction, in regional matters, Afghanistan is not alone, Pakistan is a very important country for the stability of Afghanistan," he said.
"I am quite confident that we will be able to do it together."
In Poland last month, NATO called for a "civilian surge" to boost rebuilding, fight corruption and encourage democracy.
Warning of the price of failure in Afghanistan, where NATO has undertaken its biggest and most challenging mission ever, alliance Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer appealed for new efforts ahead of presidential elections.
He called on international institutions like the United Nations and the EU to help provide "more development, more support for governance and more institution building."
NATO faces a tough test on August 20, when it must provide security for presidential elections, and failure to ensure they run smoothly could raise troubling questions about the alliance's future.
