Obama to seek NATO support for Afghanistan plan

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - Barack Obama U.S. President will urge European allies to support its new strategy for Afghanistan, telling NATO partners this week its security could be threatened if the country falls into chaos.

Making his first trip abroad since assuming office on January 20, Obama discuss the economic crisis in the London Group of 20 summit of major economic powers on Thursday. After attending the NATO summit in Strasbourg, France, on Friday and Saturday, marking the 60th anniversary of the alliance.

Just before the NATO summit, Obama has presented a plan for Afghanistan, where violence is at its highest level since United States-led forces overthrew the Taliban in 2001 and where the NATO mission has been criticized for disruption.

Obama expanded the strategy of the U.S. focus to include Pakistan as a top priority and put the defeat of Al Qaeda said that the militants were plotting new attacks in the United States. 4000 is going to send more U.S. troops to help train the Afghan army and add more civilian staff to help tackle problems such as a booming narcotics trade and government corruption.

However, Obama stressed that international cooperation is crucial to the success of the plan and promised to take that message to Europe, where the public has grown increasingly impatient with the efforts of Afghanistan.

"The world can not afford the price to come in case of Afghanistan into chaos once again slides or Al Qaeda is not operating," Obama said in a speech in Washington on Friday.

"What is at stake now is not only our own security - is the idea that free nations can come together on behalf of our common security. That was the founding of NATO because six decades ago. That must be our common goal today, "he added.

In a shift that has been well received in Europe, Obama, a Democrat, has promised a more consultative foreign policy than its Republican predecessor, George W. Bush. His government hopes Obama's popularity abroad to improve the visibility of their drive for greater support to Afghanistan.

In preparing the new strategy for Afghanistan, Obama has launched a review of 60 days which included the contribution of the European allies and other countries with interests in the region.

Tough SELL?

Obama said that from NATO allies, which he hoped to "not only troops but rather the ability to define clearly," including support for the Afghan elections, training of security forces and increased support civil.

Analysts said it might be difficult to sell.

Stephen Flanagan, a scholar at the CSIS think tank, said that Obama will not have much luck in obtaining more combat forces.

"Not only is the will of the majority of European allies to do that," Flanagan said, but would have greater willingness to help with training missions, and civil remedies.

"It will be difficult, but I think this is where the Obama administration and the president need to take full advantage of the goodwill it has created with its new focus and emphasis on diplomacy," said Juan Zarate, a former adviser Bush, the fight against terrorism.

"The real challenge is the national interests have not changed," said Zarate, who praised the plan as well thought Obama Afghanistan. "There's a lot of popularity in Europe and in Brussels for sending more troops and certainly is not much appetite for sending civilians in what is a challenging security environment."

White House deputy national security adviser Denis McDonough said that while Obama had obtained some of the new commitments of resources to Afghanistan before the NATO summit would be a "continuous process" to solicit support.

Obama on the agenda of the summit in Strasbourg include bilateral meetings with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Will have a long meeting in London with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Apart from the NATO summit, which also spend time interacting with the audience during a speech and question and answer session with students from various parts of Europe.

After the NATO summit, Obama will attend a meeting of 27 European Union heads of state in Prague, where he also plans to offer what their partners are billing as a major speech on nuclear proliferation.

Hanging over the meeting in Prague will be the subject of missile defense. A U.S. plan to place a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic have angered Moscow.

Obama has suggested that the United States would not need to deploy missile defenses proposed in eastern Europe if Moscow might stop helping Iran develop long-range weapons.