Europe reluctant to send more troops to Afghanistan

By Ross Colvin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - European nations are unlikely to contribute more troops to Afghanistan, the head of the European Commission said Tuesday, as President Barack Obama weighs boosting U.S. forces there.

Opinion polls in many European countries show clear majorities in favour of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. There are some 67,000 U.S. troops and 42,000 from allied nations there.

The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has recommended boosting the number of foreign forces by up to 40,000 in a bid to arrest a deteriorating security situation.

"Honestly in Europe there is not great enthusiasm for sending more troops to Afghanistan. That is the public opinion situation in Europe," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in Washington.

Barroso said he would discuss the need for a comprehensive strategy in Afghanistan that focussed on improving governance and increasing training of Afghan security forces when he met Obama later Tuesday.

He emphasized that the European Union was already one of the biggest contributors of civilian aid to Afghanistan, sending about 1 billion euros (89.5 million pounds) annually.

European ministers have said they expect any new troop pledges could come at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in December.

OVAL OFFICE TALKS