Barack Obama will not commit more US troops to Afghanistan until he is convinced that its government can be a credible and effective partner, his top White House aide has said.
But it was unclear whether the US president intends to accept the recommendation by the top American commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, for thousands more American troops and other resources in the eight-year struggle to stabilise Afghanistan.
The central question before Mr Obama, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said, was "not how much troops you have, but whether in fact there's an Afghan partner".
The issue of developing an effective Afghan central government has dogged the US mission virtually from the start of the war. It gained new urgency after an August 20 presidential election was marred by charges of ballot-stuffing and voter coercion.
An election fraud investigation could lead to a run-off election between President Hamid Karzai and his top challenger, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah.
A second round of balloting would have to be held before winter, which traditionally begins in mid-November.
Once heavy snows block mountain passes and limit voter access to polling places, a run-off would have to wait until spring, leaving the country in political limbo for months as the Taliban gains strength.
Adding to the uncertainty is the prospect of Mr Karzai not accepting an outcome requiring a run-off.
"For the moment we are worried ... because it seems that not everybody is ready to accept the results," French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner said in Kabul, the Afghan capital. "They must accept the results."
The weakness of the Afghan government has undermined the US and Nato military mission in several respects. It has created disillusionment among ordinary Afghans who then turn to Taliban militants for security and other services - an important factor in the Taliban's resurgence over the past four years.
