Washington, Mar. 2 : US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that he finds President Barack Obama more analytical on issues than former President George W Bush.

Speaking on NBC''s "Meet the Press", Gates said: "It''s hard to say. I think probably President Obama is somewhat more analytical, and he makes sure he hears from everybody in the room on an issue, and if they don''t speak up, he calls on them."

In contrast, President Bush didn''t go out of his way to elicit input from those in the room, Gates said.

Krakow, Feb 21 : US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said that Washington could accept a political agreement between the Afghanistan Government and the Taliban along the lines of the truce in Pakistan.

Gates' comments at the close of a NATO meeting contrasted with those of Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, who said he was worried that the peace deal was tantamount to surrender by Pakistan.

Krakow, Poland - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on Friday said European nations were providing "significant" contributions to NATO's operations in Afghanistan and that any further help on the civilian side would be welcomed.

"We must intensify our efforts to bring security and stability to Afghanistan," Gates said, and it is "critical that the alliance provides enough troops to ensure that the August elections are credible."

Krakow, Poland - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Friday he remained hopeful that a "reasonable" deal could yet be reached with Kyrgyz officials preventing the closure of the United States' only air base in Central Asia, which supplies US and NATO operations in Afghanistan.

"I continue to believe that this is not a closed issue and there remains the potential at least to reopen this issue with the Kyrgyzs and reach a new agreement," Gates said at a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Krakow, Poland.

Washington -  expects that President Barack Obama will decide in the coming days over the final number of troop reinforcements for Afghanistan.

There will probably be a decision "in the course of the next few days," Gates told journalists Tuesday.

There were various options before Obama, and Gates said he has given the president his recommendations.