U.S. President Barack Obama urged Europeans here on Friday to support his new strategy on Afghanistan and Pakistan to crush terror.

Visiting US President Barack Obama (L) and France’s President Nicholas Sarkozy inspect the honour guard during a welcoming ceremony in Strasbourg, France, on April 3, 2009. The NATO summit, which marks the organisation’s 60th anniversary, is taking place in Strasbourg, France and the neighbouring German city of Kehl on April 3 and 4. (Xinhua Photo)

The two men met upon Obama’s arrival in Strasbourg from London for the summit.

“I understand this war has been long. Our allies have already contributed greatly to this endeavor,” Obama said.

“(I) Understand we would not deploy our own troops if this mission was not indispensable to our common security,” he said.

However, his country and its European allies must push forward the war against terrorism.

Under Obama’s new strategy announced on March 27, the U.S. plans to send 17,000 extra combat troops to Afghanistan, 4,000 troops to help train the Afghan army and more civilian personnel to deal with the narcotics problem.

He is expected to urge NATO allies at the summit for more civilian assistance to Afghanistan as one of the topics the 28 leaders from NATO member states will be focus on is the alliance’s Afghan mission.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had already briefed an International conference on Afghanistan about the U.S. new strategy to drum up support.

But European nations are reluctant to send more troops to Afghanistan, where security situation is still precarious.

“It is probably more likely that al-Qaeda would be able to launch a serious terrorist attack in Europe than in the United States because of proximity,” Obama said.

“This is not an American mission, this is a NATO mission. This is an international mission,” he added.

“We are willing to contribute reinforcement in the police, the economy, to train the Afghan people,” Sarkozy told the same press conference, “We are not waging a war against Afghanistan. We are trying to help Afghanistan to rebuild.”

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet