Washington, Oct 7, SPA -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday said that U.S. President Barack Obama still stands behind his promise to defeat al Qaeda, but is just taking time now to reassess the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. Though Obama has been widely criticized for taking time to reassess the situation in the war-torn country before sending more U.S. troops in, Clinton said that a “snap decision” to boost the troop presence would be counterproductive. Gates also added that whatever Obama decides to do, the military will support him. “It’s important that at the end of the day that the president makes a decision that he believes in,” Clinton added. The question of whether to further escalate the conflict after adding 21,000 U.S. troops earlier this year is a major decision facing Obama and senior administration policy advisers this week. Obama invited a bipartisan group of congressional leaders to the White House on Tuesday to discuss the war. Obama will again meet twice this week with his national security team. In the midst of being divided on Afghanistan, Congressional lawmakers are considering taking up a massive defense spending bill this week even before the president settles on a direction for the war. Gates appealed Monday for calm amid the intense administration debate over the slowing the war, and for time and privacy for the president to come to a decision. “It is important that we take our time to do all we can to get this right,” Gates said. “In this process, it is imperative that all of us taking part in these deliberations - civilians and military alike - provide our best advice to the president candidly but privately.”--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/706655