PM urges allies to commit more troops

Gordon Brown is urging more countries to send troops to Afghanistan as he attends a NATO summit.

The prime minister joined other leaders in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Wednesday afternoon.

Both he and US president George Bush want more of the 26 NATO members to send combat troops and provide more support in the battle against the Taliban.

Brown told reporters: "What I want is the process of burden-sharing to be more effective over the next period of time.

"We also believe there could be a greater burden sharing with countries providing equipment even where this equipment will be used by the forces of other countries.

"We are setting up a helicopter trust fund to enable countries to equip their helicopters, to get them ready for Afghanistan and train the pilots to use them."

He added: "This is about people coming up to the plate."

A special session of the summit has been set aside tomorrow afternoon for negotiations on the issue.

George Bush has also called for NATO members to increase their contribution, warning that if the alliance does not stay on the offensive in Afghanistan then Taliban and al Qaeda extremists will use the country to launch more terror attacks on the west.

He backed entry to NATO for Georgia and Ukraine, saying that in future membership "must remain open to all of Europe's democracies".

The UK will back an invitation to Albania, Croatia and Macedonia to join.

On membership for Ukraine and Georgia - opposed by Russian and NATO members including France - the prime minister's spokesman said: "In principle we are supporting the adoption of membership application plans for Ukraine and Georgia but need to discuss the modalities and exact timing with our NATO partners."

Brown said of the dispute over expansion: "I think we will get an agreement. I'm confident we will get an agreement."

Meanwhile David Miliband was on Wednesday set to re-state the government's commitment to the EU as a focus for foreign policy.

Through Europe, Britain can have the "greatest influence on some of the great challenges that face the planet", the foreign secretary was set to say in his Mansion House address.

"The more successful the EU, and the greater its collective economic might, the more effective our bilateral links," he was to add.