Brussels - Afghan President Hamid Karzai will have to clean up his country's notoriously corrupt bureaucracy if he wants to keep the confidence of international donors, European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels said on Monday.

Karzai is due to be sworn in on Thursday, but his inauguration has been tarnished by massive fraud during this summer's presidential election.

"We will be watching. First we have his installation speech ... that will be very important, then we go from there and see how he appoints the different ministers," Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt told journalists in Brussels.

Sweden currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.

European nations are estimated to be providing 1 billion euros (1.5 billion dollars) per year in funding to Afghanistan, as well as sending over 15,000 soldiers to the country.

But their mission there has come under public pressure following the revelation of massive pro-Karzai fraud in the election.

"We want to see a really clear government commitment to reforms and also particularly to good governance. This is the most important, because only then will the international community be really ready to work with President Karzai," EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said.

Despite its concerns, the EU will give "substantial" new funding to the Afghan mission, she said without specifying a number.

Diplomats agreed that it would be crucial to see which ministers Karzai nominated to his government.

"We'll follow very closely what is the result of President Karzai ... We'll see what is the government he puts forward," said Javier Solana, the EU's top diplomat.

Bildt also highlighted the importance of Karzai's government nominations.

"If there is an able minister in which we have confidence in a certain sector, it would of course make it somewhat easier for us to work in that particular sector - and the reverse," he said. (dpa)