Washington, April 05, SPA -- The United States will add a “significant” number of troops to NATO’s mission in Afghanistan next year, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has told reporters. Gates said President George W. Bush told foreign leaders about the expected troop boost when they discussed Afghanistan at a summit in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Thursday. “The President indicated that he expected in 2009 that the United States would make a significant additional contribution, " Gates told reporters on his plane on Friday as he flew to Oman. Gates acknowledged that the troop increase is planned for a period that will fall in the next presidential administration, but he said the war in Afghanistan has broad political support in the United States and he expected the next President would honor the pledge. “I believe this is one area where there is very broa, "bipartisan support in the United States for being successful and I think that no matter who is elected they will want to be successful in Afghanistan, " Gates said. “I think this was a pretty safe thing for him to say,” Gates said of Bush’s pledge to increase troop numbers. The United States is the biggest contributor to NATO’s 47,000-strong force in Afghanistan, with around 17,000 troops. Gates did not specify how many troops the United States would add to that contingent and said it was too early to define their role or likely location.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/543041