UN, December 3, 2009 : U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed U.S. President Barack Obama’s plan to deploy 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

In a written statement, Ban praised Obama’s aim to “balance military and civilian efforts” and focus on strengthening institutions and security forces in Afghanistan, noting that it would be a long-term but essential process.

Obama’s decision will bring the total number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to nearly 100,000. In part, the new 18-month initiative against the Taliban seeks to accelerate the training of Afghan national security forces. As early as July 2011, troops would begin transferring responsibility to Afghan authorities.

However, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice indicated “it is not the expectation” that all required Afghan security forces “will be trained within 18 months.”

She explained that the addition of U.S. troops augmented by NATO forces will “create space and time for the Afghan authorities to enhance their governance.”

On Wednesday NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on CNN’s “Amanpour” program that the non-U.S. members of NATO intend to initially commit at least 5,000 more troops to Afghanistan “based on what we know now.”

The additional units would bring NATO’s contribution to the Afghan war to about 47,000 troops. The first pledges could be announced at a conference of NATO foreign ministers Thursday and Friday in Brussels, Belgium, the seat of the alliance, Rasmussen said.