NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Wednesday called for more resources for the training of the Afghan army and police so that they can take up leading security responsibilities, thus freeing up NATO troops.

"We need, as an international community, to train and to equip the Afghan security forces so that they can provide security in their own country, because while we will stay in Afghanistan as long as it takes, this cannot, and should not mean forever," Rasmussen told reporters.

"That is why we must fully resource the NATO training mission in Afghanistan, which should be up and running by the end of the month. We will need to provide army and police training teams, equipment and sustenance money."

Rasmussen said the resources required are investment that is in the interest of NATO. "We need to do more now, so we can do less later."

He said he will push this idea at an informal NATO defense ministers' meeting later this month in Bratislava, Slovakia.

The NATO chief said the Afghan security forces alone will not be enough to deal with the threats the country faces. "We need to see transition to Afghan leads in civilian areas as well," he said.

Confidence of the Afghan people in their government will "suck oxygen away" from the Taliban and al-Qaida, he argued. "The Afghan people must increasingly see their government give them health care, education and good governance."

He said he supported the idea of an international conference on Afghanistan in the coming months, where the international community and the Afghan government can agree on a contract under which the Afghan government will improve governance and fight corruption and the international community will continue its support.

As U.S. President Barack Obama is considering whether to deploy 40,000 more American troops in Afghanistan, Rasmussen asked European allies of NATO to contribute more to Afghanistan so that there is a fair transatlantic balance.

Otherwise, he warned, many in the United States will question Europe's status as a security partner, thus damaging transatlantic relations in the long run. "The United States must know and see that in difficult times -- indeed precisely when it is most difficult -- this alliance stands together and contributes together," he said. "This alliance is about sharing security. But that doesn't just mean sharing the benefits, it also means sharing the costs and risks."

Rasmussen reaffirmed that NATO's commitment to Afghanistan is as strong as ever and that the alliance will stay in Afghanistan as long as necessary.

On NATO-Russia relations, Rasmussen said the two sides need to make their relationship "too good to lose." He recognized that there are areas of fundamental differences between NATO and Russia. But he added "We can create a web of cooperation that is strong enough to survive these differences."

He said NATO foreign ministers might meet with their Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in early December. He himself will visit Moscow later in the same month to meet Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and other leaders.

Rasmussen said NATO and Russia can expand cooperation in Afghanistan.

Russia has ruled out sending troops to Afghanistan. But Moscow allows transit of non-lethal goods through its territory to NATO troops in Afghanistan. This agreement could be expanded, said Rasmussen.

"Russia could provide equipment for the Afghan security forces. Russia could provide training," he said. "We could explore in a joint effort how we could further Russian engagement."

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