Beijing, July 10, SPA -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice onSunday rejected a call for Washington to pull its forcesout of Central Asia. Rice was in Beijing to discuss North Korean nucleardisarmament with President Hu Jintao and other Chineseleaders, but said they also discussed a wide range of otherissues. Rice rejected a call last week from a regional securitygroup led by China and Russia for U.S. troops to leaveCentral Asia, saying Afghanistan still needs help to fightterror groups. "It is our understanding that the people of Afghanistanwant and need the help of U.S. armed forces," she said ata news conference. The six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization calledlast week for U.S.-led coalition forces to withdraw frombases in Central Asia. The group includes Uzbekistan andKyrgyzstan _ both of which have provided bases for U.S.troops _ as well as Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. The Associated Press quoted Rice as saying that there was "still a lot of terrorist activity in Afghanistan" and that U.S. troops were training the Afghan army to counter it. She did not mention Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, where theU.S. has placed troops. Rice left later Sunday to fly to the Thai resort city ofPhuket, which suffered widespread devastation in December'stsunami.--SPA1410 Local Time 1110 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/275844