Afghanistan's leader is set to call for more help from Britain.

President Karzai will use a three-day visit that begins on Wednesday to lobby for more resources to help strengthen his administration.

Karzai, who took power just under a year ago after the fall of the Taliban, is set for meetings with international development secretary Baroness Amos, defence secretary Geoff Hoon, foreign secretary Jack Straw and the prime minister.

British officials are upbeat about the visit but accept that his administration is at a crossroads.

"There has been a lot of bad press about Afghanistan but the foundation is now there for real and substantial progress," said a Foreign Office spokesman.

Talks will focus on reconstruction and humanitarian support, security and efforts to cut heroin production in Afghanistan which accounts for 90 per cent of the drug available on UK streets.

Karzai is currently struggling with the local governors and regional warlords that have returned to prominence and are again fighting each other for power.

He has scored a major victory to get agreement from the governors to transfer tax revenue in order to pay his troops' salaries but the actual cash has yet to materialise.The extent of Karzai's power is limited outside of Kabul and if the local leaders refuse to honour the deal his administration will be faced with a major crisis.

Currently most of the aid going into the country is being spent on paying the country's civil servants and troops. If Karzai wins the reconstruction money can then be targeted on infrastructure projects.

A further problem is that Kabul has also so far been unable to contain the fighting in the southern and eastern regions of the country.

The central differences between Britain and Afghanistan have centred on how the administration is helped.

Kabul wants the international ISAF force to be extended to the whole country but Britain, wary from its experiences of sending troops into Northern Ireland in 1969, fears such a move would risk alienating local support.

Britain has agreed to contribute troops to one of eight provincial reconstruction teams which will be based at Mazar-e-Sharif and will be involved in patrolling and liasing with the local population.

"Slow progress is the price to pay for consensus. We could be heavy and aggressively disarm but that's not a solution that will bring enduring peace and stability," said the Foreign Office.

Progress has also been slow in cutting the country's links to the drugs trade but British officials say the real signs of progress will come in five to 10 years time.

"We're in this for the long game. There are no quick fixes," the spokesman said.