Bush to discuss Afghanistan at NATO summit

BUCHAREST, Romania, March 31 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush left for Bucharest, Romania, Monday to lobby NATO allies for more international troops in Afghanistan, officials said.

Key NATO allies have said they'd send more troops to the country, but not the numbers U.S. military officials say are necessary to quell a Taliban insurgency, The Washington Post reported.

France indicated it would announce during the NATO summit it would deploy another 1,000 troops to Afghanistan, while Britain said it would send an additional 800 soldiers. However, Germany and other countries declined to augment their troops, leaving the United States with the possibility of having to increase its troop presence to make up for the shortfall, analysts told the Post.

The NATO leaders reportedly will debate tactics for southern Afghanistan, where the Taliban has been strongest, the Post said.

"The president's message is going to be one of the importance of success in Afghanistan," U.S. national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley said last week, "the need for all countries to make it a priority, the need for us to develop a more integrated strategy for success and the need for all of us to do more."

The summit begins Wednesday.