Washington  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Thursday for discussions on the conflict in Afghanistan and a host of other issues.

Clinton hosted Kouchner over lunch for talks that also included Iran's nuclear activities, the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the violence in Sudan's Darfur region, the State Department said.

The United States is seeking broader European support in Afghanistan, where a resurgent Taliban has prompted an increase in violence over the past two years and a deteriorating security environment.

President Barack Obama is weighing plans to increase the US presence there by redeploying soldiers from Iraq. There are currently about 34,000 US troops in Afghanistan, but that number could nearly double by the end of the year. (dpa)