Browne issues plea over Afghanistan

Mr Browne spoke as defence and foreign ministers from eight countries gathered in Edinburgh to discuss the latest situation there.

The Defence Secretary said Prime Minister Gordon Brown had already made it clear the UK wanted to see "fairer burden sharing across the Nato countries".

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland Mr Browne said: "We are looking to our Nato partners to share the burden, particularly of the more difficult parts of the country."

The meeting involves representatives from the eight countries that have troops or significant resources in the south of Afghanistan - Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia and Romania.

And Australia's defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon is reported to be planning to tell the Edinburgh gathering that his country would send no more troops to Afghanistan until European countries such as Spain and Germany stepped up their commitment.

Mr Browne, who recently returned from a visit to Afghanistan, said: "There are parts of the country where the security challenge is greater and very obviously the southern provinces, that most countries who are represented today have responsibility for are facing that.

"We have made some significant improvements in it I think over the last 18 months and I would like to see more countries making a contribution to that."

The Defence Secretary explained that the meeting would look at how best the resources in Afghanistan could be used. He said: "It will concentrate on how we can get best effect from the troops and other resources that we have in the southern region of Afghanistan."

But he stressed the commitment to Afghanistan would be a long term one.