ANKARA/MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) – The United States and Germany said on Saturday they saw no sign Tehran would make concessions on its nuclear programme, despite upbeat comments from Iran’s foreign minister over prospects for a deal.

Iran’s Manouchehr Mottaki said he had “a very good meeting” with the head of the U.N. nuclear agency on a plan to swap Iran’s low-enriched uranium for higher-grade nuclear fuel to be used in a Tehran reactor producing medical isotopes.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Yukiya Amano said he wanted dialogue with Iran to speed up.

“Dialogue is continuing, this should be accelerated. That’s the point,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an annual security conference in Munich. He added that during the meeting Mottaki had made no new proposal on the swap plan.

ANKARA/MUNICH (Reuters) – NATO allies plan to reshuffle rather than expand existing troop commitments to Afghanistan, sending more military trainers in place of combat forces to ready the Afghan army and police to take control, senior U.S. and NATO officials said on Saturday.

The decision of some NATO member states to increase the proportion of trainers within existing troop pledges underscores the difficulty NATO and Washington have faced convincing European and other states to make new troop commitments.

A senior U.S. official said before a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Istanbul this week that Defense Secretary Robert Gates would urge allies to provide more than 4,000 trainers and mentors.

Yet NATO officials said France was the only country to make a firm new pledge at the two-day NATO meeting that ended on Friday — offering just 80 instructors.

ANKARA/MUNICH, Feb 6 (Reuters) – NATO allies plan to reshuffle rather than expand existing troop commitments to Afghanistan, sending more military trainers in place of combat forces to ready the Afghan army and police to take control, senior U.S. and NATO officials said on Saturday.The decision of some NATO member states to increase the proportion of trainers within existing troop pledges underscores the difficulty NATO and Washington have faced convincing European and other states to make new troop commitments. A senior U.S. official said before a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Istanbul this week that U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates would urge allies to provide more than 4,000 trainers and mentors. Yet NATO officials said France was the only country to make a firm new pledge at the two-day NATO meeting that ended on Friday — offering just 80 instructors. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen nevertheless said he was confident the gap between what was needed and what was available would be filled, and that a force generation conference on Feb. 23 would concentrate on this. "I have already got positive responses from allies and partners to our requests for more trainers and training teams … more will come from other countries," he told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines at a security conference in Munich. Rasmussen also said it made sense to use existing resources to train the Afghan army and police, "so that we can already this year start the process of handing over responsibility for the security to the Afghans". "It makes sense to use our resources to equip our training mission," he said. "I find it quite natural that we make sure that the composition of our troop contributions to the mission in Afghanistan reflects the strategy," he said. GENERAL AGREEMENT Gates made similar comments when asked by reporters in Ankara if he was concerned about the small commitment from France. He said what was important was the way contributions were shaped. He said that there was general agreement in Istanbul that the more trainers there were in the forces U.S. allies had committed to send to Afghanistan, the better. "If there was one pretty clear theme at the NATO defense ministers meeting in Istanbul, it was: within the framework of the commitments you’ve made, trainers are the most important people we need … It is important the right people go." He said Germany had told its counterparts at the Istanbul meeting that it would significantly increase the proportion of trainers in its existing force in Afghanistan and reinforcements it plans to send. But Gates warned his NATO counterparts their shared objectives would be achieved "only if the coalition continues to muster the resolve". "No one wants to start issuing rosy predictions at this point, and a very tough fight lies in front of us. We are a long way from being done there," he told reporters in Ankara. After Turkey, Gates was to take his call for more trainers to Rome, and then to Paris next week. Nearly 120,000 foreign troops are now in Afghanistan, a number that will grow sharply in the coming months as new U.S. and NATO contingents arrive. President Barack Obama has announced the deployment of 30,000 more U.S. troops and allies have committed almost 10,000 more with the aim of containing a widening Taliban insurgency and creating conditions for Afghan forces to take over. The allies hope the big build of Afghan forces will allow them to start withdrawing some of the extra troops in July 2011. Christine Fair, a professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Peace and Security Studies, said it was important that U.S. allies did more."This is absolutely critical to the transition of security to the Afghans. We absolutely need these people (allies) to step up to the plate and provide mentors and money. It’s a math problem. That being said, I’m not remotely optimistic," she said. (Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom, Ibon Villelabeitia, Selcuk Gokoluk and Ayla Jean Yackley)

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The United States promised on Friday to provide armored vehicles, ground penetrating radar and other equipment to NATO allies to help protect their troops in Afghanistan from increasingly deadly roadside bombs.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a gathering of NATO countries in Istanbul they would be offered surplus equipment that is in Iraq but no longer needed by U.S. forces there.

His pledge was coupled with a personal appeal for allies to send up to 4,000 more trainers and mentors to Afghanistan to help ready the country’s army and police to gradually take control of security.

“Today I told our allies that the United States will be able to offer them more intelligence, training and equipment including jammers, route clearance robots, surveillance systems and ground-penetrating radar,” Gates told a news conference.

ISTANBUL, Feb 5 (Reuters) – The United States promised on Friday to provide armoured vehicles, ground penetrating radar and other equipment to NATO allies to help protect their troops in Afghanistan from increasingly deadly roadside bombs. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a gathering of NATO countries in Istanbul they would be offered surplus equipment that is in Iraq but no longer needed by U.S. forces there. His pledge was coupled with a personal appeal for allies to send up to 4,000 more trainers and mentors to Afghanistan to help ready the country’s army and police to gradually take control of security. "Today I told our allies that the United States will be able to offer them more intelligence, training and equipment including jammers, route clearance robots, surveillance systems and ground-penetrating radar," Gates told a news conference. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the U.S. offer was an important step and could help persuade NATO states pledge more troops and trainers, and urged them to "dig deep". "We need more, a lot more," he told the news conference. Some NATO states have linked additional force commitments to more help from Washington in countering the threat posed by so-called improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which kill more Western troops than any other weapon in the Taliban’s arsenal. The Western death toll from IEDs has soared in Afghanistan, prompting Gates to make production of new protective vehicles for U.S. troops a top priority. TRAINING PROGRAMME The United States has ramped up production of all-terrain Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAPS), built by Oshkosh Corp. <OSK.N>, but Pentagon officials have made clear those vehicles would go to U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The vehicles have a v-shaped hull that offers better protection against IEDs than less armoured Humvees and other land vehicles. Gates said the surplus MRAPs from Iraq that will be given to NATO allies did not have the off-road capabilities of the newer all-terrain vehicles going to U.S. troops. "But they are certainly better protection than our allies have right now." Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said "potentially" hundreds of surplus MRAPs could be sold, loaned or donated to NATO allies in Afghanistan. The U.S. military will also provide NATO allies with expanded real-time access to classified databases about IEDs. U.S. counter-IED experts will also give NATO forces pre-deployment training. The training programme, particularly for the police, has been under-resourced for years but has become a more urgent priority since U.S. President Barack Obama in December set the goal of gradually handing over security responsibility to the Afghans and drawing down U.S. forces starting in July 2011. Last year Obama ordered the deployment of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to battle a resurgent Taliban. Allies from around 36 countries have pledged around 9,000 more, but there remains a big shortfall in trainers for Afghan forces, not least due to safety concerns. The Pentagon expected France to agree to contribute hundreds of trainers to Afghanistan in line with Germany’s increase. U.S. defense officials had no immediate comment on the 80 additions announced by Paris. (Editing by David Brunnstrom and Jon Boyle)

ISTANBUL, Feb 5 (Reuters) – The United States promised on Friday to provide armoured vehicles, ground penetrating radar and other equipment to NATO allies to help protect their troops in Afghanistan from increasingly deadly roadside bombs. The pledge by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was coupled with a personal appeal for allies to send up to 4,000 more trainers and mentors to Afghanistan to help ready the country’s army and police to gradually take control of security. "Today I told our allies that the United States will be able to offer them more intelligence, training and equipment including jammers, route clearance robots, surveillance systems and ground-penetrating radar," Gates told a news conference. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the U.S. offer was an important step and could help persuade NATO states to pledge more troops and trainers, urging them to "dig deep". "We need more, a lot more," he told the news conference. Some NATO states have linked additional force commitments to more help from Washington in countering the threat posed by so-called improved explosive devices (IEDs), which kill more Western troops than any other weapon in the Taliban’s arsenal. The promised equipment is expected to come mainly from Iraq as U.S. troops withdraw. The training programme, particularly for the police, has been under-resourced for years, but has become a more urgent priority since President Barack Obama in December set the goal of gradually handing over security responsibility to the Afghans and drawing down U.S. forces starting in July 2011. U.S. UPS OUTPUT OF MINE-RESISTANT VEHICLES Last year U.S. President Barack Obama ordered the deployment of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to battle a resurgent Taliban. Allies from around 36 countries have pledged around 9,000 more, but there remains a big shortfall in numbers of trainers for Afghan forces, not least due to safety concerns. The Western death toll from IEDs has soared in Afghanistan, prompting Gates to make production of new protective vehicles for U.S. troops a top priority. The United States has ramped up production of all-terrain Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAPS), built by Oshkosh Corp. <OSK.N>, but Pentagon officials have made clear those vehicles would go to U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Instead, NATO allies will mostly be offered surplus MRAPs and other counter-IED equipment that is in Iraq but no longer be needed by U.S. forces there. Gates said U.S. law required that U.S. forces be supplied first before equipment can be offered to others, but he added: "The United States will now do whatever we can, within the limits of U.S. law, and as soon as we can, to provide as many surplus MRAPS as possible to allies, especially those operating in high-risk areas." It is unclear how much equipment the United States will provide, and whether it will be sold, leased or given free-of-charge to NATO allies. The U.S. military has spent more than $12.5 billion in recent years to speed output of the blast-proof MRAP trucks, first to Iraq, and now to Afghanistan. The vehicles have a v-shaped hull that offers better protection against IEDs than less armoured Humvees and other land vehicles. (Editing by David Brunnstrom and Noah Barkin)

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan said on Thursday the security situation remained serious but was no longer deteriorating, offering a more upbeat assessment than other U.S. military and intelligence officials.

Dire warnings from General Stanley McChrystal and other commanders last summer about the worsening outlook prompted U.S. President Barack Obama to order the deployment of 30,000 additional troops to battle a resurgent Taliban.

“I believe the situation in Afghanistan is serious. I do not say now that I think it’s deteriorating. I think and I said that last summer, and I believed that that was correct. I feel differently now,” McChrystal told reporters in Istanbul on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO defense ministers.

“I’m not prepared to say that we have turned the corner,” he added. “But … I think we have made significant progress in setting conditions in 2009 and … we’ll make real progress in 2010.”

ISTANBUL, Feb 4 (Reuters) – The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan said on Thursday the security situation remained serious but was no longer deteriorating, offering a more upbeat assessment than other U.S. military and intelligence officials. Dire warnings from General Stanley McChrystal and other commanders last summer about the worsening outlook prompted U.S. President Barack Obama to order the deployment of 30,000 additional troops to battle a resurgent Taliban. "I believe the situation in Afghanistan is serious. I do not say now that I think it’s deteriorating. I think and I said that last summer, and I believed that that was correct. I feel differently now," McChrystal told reporters in Istanbul on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO defence ministers. "I’m not prepared to say that we have turned the corner," he added. "But … I think we have made significant progress in setting conditions in 2009 and … we’ll make real progress in 2010." So far, 4,500 of the 30,000 additional U.S. troops ordered by Obama have arrived in Afghanistan, to join the nearly 70,000 there before the surge began in December. The Pentagon said levels were expected to reach 98,000 by the end of September. Other NATO member-states and allies have about 45,000 troops there and have promised to send thousands more. ROADSIDE BOMBS Pentagon officials said on Thursday U.S. pledges to help allies counter a surge in roadside bombings had been a factor in winning the promises to send more soldiers. McChrystal touted an imminent offensive on a Taliban enclave in southern Afghanistan by thousands of Marines as the "next step" in the counterinsurgency campaign. He said the operation showed the people of Afghanistan that "we are expanding security", and served as a warning to the Taliban that the partnership between U.S., NATO and Afghan forces was maturing. "The planning is in great shape… I’m very confident and very impressed with where they are, particularly the partnership," McChrystal said of the planned offensive on Marjah, a Taliban-controlled town in Helmand province. He said the operation would get under way "relatively soon". McChrystal’s improved assessment appeared at odds with warnings earlier this week by other top officials that the insurgency was growing more lethal and spreading its reach. Dennis Blair, the U.S. director of national intelligence, told lawmakers that Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgency "has become increasingly dangerous and destabilizing". The director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Lieutenant General Ronald Burgess, warned U.S. troops faced an "increasingly capable insurgency". Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers that Taliban insurgents have "a growing influence in most of Afghanistan’s provinces". WAR OF PERCEPTIONS McChrystal said he had not seen Mullen’s testimony. "What I will tell you is I think that the Taliban are making a significant effort to expand their influence. So is the government of Afghanistan now, aided by us," McChrystal said. He attributed his more upbeat view to factors including better cooperation between NATO and Afghan forces and impressions during travels in Afghanistan and meetings with local leaders. "What I see and what I feel gives me that sense," he said. "This is all a war of perceptions. This is not a physical war in terms of how many people you kill or how much ground you capture … This is all in the minds of the participants." U.S. officials held out the possibility of providing equipment such as armoured vehicles to NATO allies to help protect their troops against roadside bombs and other threats. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was committed to sharing "our best practices, our lessons learned, with all of the troop-contributing nations within the confines of the law — whatever laws would prohibit sharing of certain sensitive information". (Reporting by Adam Entous; editing by Andrew Roche)

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan said on Thursday the security situation there remained serious but was not deteriorating, giving a more upbeat view than from other U.S. military and intelligence officials.

Speaking before a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Istanbul, General Stanley McChrystal also expressed confidence that Afghan forces would grow quickly enough to allow a reduction in U.S. troop numbers to begin on schedule in 2011.

U.S. officials said U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates would urge NATO allies at the meeting on Thursday and Friday to send up to 4,000 more trainers and mentors to prepare the Afghan army and police to begin taking over security next year.

Dire warnings from McChrystal and other commanders last summer about the worsening outlook in Afghanistan prompted U.S. President Barack Obama to order the deployment of 30,000 additional troops to battle a resurgent Taliban.

ISTANBUL, Feb 4 (Reuters) – The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan said on Thursday the security situation there remained serious but was not deteriorating, giving a more upbeat view than from other U.S. military and intelligence officials. Speaking before a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Istanbul, General Stanley McChrystal also expressed confidence that Afghan forces would grow quickly enough to allow a reduction in U.S. troop numbers to begin on schedule in 2011. U.S. officials said U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates would urge NATO allies at the meeting on Thursday and Friday to send up to 4,000 more trainers and mentors to prepare the Afghan army and police to begin taking over security next year. Dire warnings from McChrystal and other commanders last summer about the worsening outlook in Afghanistan prompted U.S. President Barack Obama to order the deployment of 30,000 additional troops to battle a resurgent Taliban. But on Thursday the general offered an assessment that appeared at odds with warnings by other top U.S. officials that the insurgency was growing more lethal and spreading its reach. "I believe the situation in Afghanistan is serious," McChrystal told reporters. "I do not say now that I think it’s deteriorating. I think and I said that last summer, and I believed that that was correct. I feel differently now." "I’m not prepared to say we have turned the corner," he added. "But … I think we have made significant progress in setting conditions in 2009 and … we’ll make real progress in 2010." CONTRASTING VIEWS Earlier this week Dennis Blair, U.S. director of national intelligence, told lawmakers the Taliban insurgency "has become increasingly dangerous and destabilising". The director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Lieutenant General Ronald Burgess, warned U.S. troops faced an "increasingly capable insurgency". And Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers that Taliban insurgents have "a growing influence in most of Afghanistan’s provinces". McChrystal said he had not seen Mullen’s testimony. "What I will tell you is I think that the Taliban are making a significant effort to expand their influence. So is the government of Afghanistan now, aided by us," he said. He attributed his more upbeat view to factors including better cooperation between NATO and Afghan forces and impressions from meetings with local leaders. "What I see and what I feel gives me that sense," he said. "This is all a war of perceptions. This is not a physical war in terms of how many people you kill or how much ground you capture … This is all in the minds of the participants." A shortage of trainers and mentors could skew the timetable for starting to hand over responsibility to Afghan forces to allow for a gradual reduction of U.S. and allies troops. A senior U.S. official estimated 1,500 to 1,700 instructors or trainers and 2,500 so-called mentors were still needed to help grow Afghan forces to a 2011 target of 300,000 personnel. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said Gates would appeal to NATO defence ministers to "contribute their forces to this cause in as timely a manner as possible, just as we are". POLICE TRAINING A STRUGGLE The official acknowledged that police training in Afghanistan had been a "haphazard effort". But he said a new structure was in place ensure it would more successful. The effort has struggled to meet targets for international personnel, mainly due to safety concerns. The European Union launched a police training mission in 2007, which has a target strength of 400 personnel, but fewer than 300 have been deployed. So far, 4,500 of the 30,000 additional U.S. troops ordered by Obama have arrived, to join the nearly 70,000 there before the surge began in December. The Pentagon said levels were expected to reach 98,000 by the end of September. Other NATO member-states and allies have about 45,000 troops in Afghanistan and have promised to send up to 9,000 more. Pentagon officials said U.S. pledges to help allies protect against a surge in roadside bombings had been a factor in winning the promises to send more soldiers and held out the possibility of equipment such as specialised armoured vehicles. McChrystal touted an imminent offensive on a Taliban enclave at Marjah, in southern Afghanistan by thousands of Marines as the "next step" in the counterinsurgency campaign. He said the operation would start "relatively soon" and show Afghans "we are expanding security" and the Taliban that the partnership between U.S., NATO and Afghan forces was maturing. (Writing by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Michael Roddy)