Karzai Seeks Bigger Role for Larger Afghan Army

Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, is expected to propose a radical expansion of the Afghan army today and call for his troops to take over security responsibilities in Kabul from Nato, according to officials at the alliance's summit in Bucharest. The news came after dismal day for Nato leaders, with the alliance unable to agree on new members. The summit was split on whether to offer membership prospects to Georgia or Ukraine, while Greece was able to block Macedonian membership single-handed. Croatia and Albania were invited to join the alliance.

Karzai's proposal is an attempt to compensate for a shortfall in international troop contributions to Afghanistan. Under the plan, the Afghan army would assume security responsibilities in the capital before the end of the year. It would eventually expand its strength from 55,000 to 120,000, well above the ceiling of 86,000 agreed earlier this year with the Afghan government's international backers.

The proposal will be discussed by Nato leaders at a meeting on Afghanistan that will hammer out a new mission statement for the 47,000-strong alliance force there. A bigger role for the Afghan army will be portrayed as a bright spot for the summit. The alliance is at odds over troop contributions in Afghanistan, where the US, Britain and Canada feel they are bearing a disproportionate weight.

James Appathurai, Nato's spokesman, said the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, had offered to send a battalion - about 700 troops - to Afghanistan's eastern front, which will release US troops to support embattled Canadian forces in the south. But the French offer is less than expected.

Canada had threatened to withdraw its forces from the southern Afghan province of Kandahar unless other Nato members provide reinforcements and equipment.

Gordon Brown, who arrived in Bucharest yesterday evening, said: "We believe there could be a greater burden-sharing, with countries providing equipment even where this will be used by the forces of other countries ... This is about people coming up to the plate."

According to sources familiar with the draft mission statement, it will emphasize the need for a shared long-term commitment in Afghanistan. It will also call for:

· Afghan troops to take the lead wherever possible in fighting the Taliban and providing security.

· Greater coordination between civilian and military arms of the international presence in Afghanistan.

· Pressure on Afghanistan's neighbors to contribute more to pacification. Pakistan is seen as its most troubling neighbor, with Taliban forces using its territory as a haven from which to mount attacks.

Greece was bitterly opposed to the accession of Macedonia, favored by the rest of the alliance, because of the former Yugoslav republic's name, which Athens argues implies a territorial claim on the northern Greek province of Macedonia. "For the moment, Greece is not in a position to agree to the entry of Macedonia and it will be Croatia and Albania first," Spain's foreign minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos told reporters late last night.

George Bush also pushed hard for an offer of membership action plans (Maps) - which list the requirements for joining Nato - to Ukraine and Georgia, but faced resistance led by Germany and France. Britain backed offering Maps to the two former Soviet republics, but not at the expense of Nato unity. A late night debate among the leaders failed to resolve the disagreement.