London - The deployment of more troops to Afghanistan will in itself not be enough to halt the rapid deterioration in the country's strategic situation, British Liberal politician Paddy Ashdown warned Wednesday.

Ashdown, a former leader of the Liberal Party and United Nations high representative in Bosnia, said that military power alone would not be enough to stabilize the situation.

His remarks coincided with the US announcement of the deployment of 17,000 extra troops in Afghanistan.

"I think things are getting steadily worse there and unless we act quickly we may find ourselves in the position where the tipping point has passed and our capacity to pull this back from defeat into victory will be significantly diminished," Ashdown told the BBC.

He called for a regional solution involving neighbouring countries, including Iran, and said there should be a Balkan-style political agreement to accompany a troop surge.

Extra manpower "won't be sufficient unless there is a political plan which is clear, which has clear priorities and on which the international community can speak with a single voice," said Ashdown.

"It will not be sufficient unless it is also accompanied by a regional context, something like the Dayton agreement for the Balkans, which enables the neighbours - particularly Iran - to play a role in this process."

However, the troop surge was necessary to persuade Taliban forces that they could not achieve a military victory, he said. In the end there would be little alternative but to talk to the Taliban. (dpa)