Afghanistan main topic for Gates at NATO

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates went to a NATO defense ministers meeting Thursday, saying he could discuss Afghanistan without having decided a strategy.

Gates said he was nearing his own decision about the best way to move forward in Afghanistan, as President Barack Obama considers whether to increase troops and revisit his strategy, as requested by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

Gates said discussions in Bratislava, Slovakia, would encompass much more than just troop numbers, the Defense Department said in a news release.

"General McChrystal has identified a number of needs in his assessment on which there is agreement," Gates said, including civilian development, governance issues and training support for the Afghan national army and police.

He discussed the NATO conference during a joint news conference in Seoul with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young.

The Pentagon chief called the NATO meeting part of the discussion process the United States was undertaking with it allies and partners concerning the next steps in Afghanistan.

"So this is a consultative process, and we are as interested in hearing from them, as I am sure they are in hearing from us," he said.