By Arshad Mohammed
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will pledge about$10 billion (5 billion pounds) in aid for Afghanistan at adonors' conference this week, a U.S. official said on Tuesday-- less than the White House had wanted from Congress.
The official, who asked for anonymity because Washingtonhas not yet unveiled its pledge, also said he expected theParis conference on Thursday to raise more than $15 billion intotal pledges, two thirds from the United States.
The U.S. pledge, to be announced by Secretary of StateCondoleezza Rice, will be less than the $11 billion the Bushadministration hoped to get from Congress, the official said.
It is not clear how much of the money pledged in Paris willrepresent fresh commitments.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher toldreporters the U.S. contribution would include money the Bushadministration had already made public in its budget requeststo Congress over the last two years.
He also said the United States had encouraged other donorsto include in their pledges money they have promised since thelast Afghan donors conference in London in 2006, when $10.5billion was promised to Afghanistan.
More than six years after U.S.-led forces ousted theTaliban regime that sheltered Osama bin Laden, Afghanistan isafflicted by corruption, the drug trade and daily violence.
The Paris gathering, which first lady Laura Bush willaddress following her visit to Afghanistan on Sunday, isintended as a show of support for the Afghan people and anopportunity to review development and security strategy.
International aid efforts have been criticized for notdoing enough to coordinate work among donors, integratesecurity with development and provide money directly throughthe Afghan government.
U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, the Delaware Democrat who chairs theSenate Foreign Relations Committee, said the administration wasgiving Afghanistan too little money for development.
"The administration has consistently under-resourced Afghanreconstruction -- and seems likely to continue re-committingthe same pot of already-pledged money again in Paris," Bidensaid in a statement released by his office.
"Six and a half years after the ouster of the Taliban, it'shard to believe that our development efforts fall so far shortof the Marshall Plan promised by President Bush," he added.
At the conference, Afghanistan will ask donors to help funda $50 billion five-year national development plan. In exchange,donors will demand that Kabul do more to fight corruption inwhat is one of the world's poorest states.
Boucher said the conference was never intended to fullyfund the $50 billion, saying that some of this will come fromAfghan contributions, foreign aid already in the pipeline andfuture pledges.
"It's not a conference ... to fill the $50 billion tank,"he said. "The overarching goal of the conference is to putinternational money behind an Afghan strategy for developingAfghanistan."
He also said discussion would focus on funnelling moremoney through the Afghan government but ensuring it is not lostto waste, corruption and inefficiency.
(Editing by Alan Elsner)
