"My request to you today is that you continue to stay with us after the parliamentary elections because if you don't do that you will leave the work half way undone," he told the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's governing political body.

"It will take our country many years before we can stand on our own feet in real terms," he added, speaking at the military alliance's headquarters here.

More than 10.5 million voters were expected to vote on September 18 to elect the 249-seat lower house known as the Wolesi Jirga. At the same time they will chose provincial councils spread over Afghanistan's 34 provinces.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer highlighted support NATO has already provided in Afghanistan and said it aimed to beef up forces under its command in the country.

NATO currently operates the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) deployed in Afghanistan, which includes about 8,000 troops from 37 countries. It is currently active in the north and west of the country.

But de Hoop Scheffer said that the alliance aimed to see the operation extended to the east and south of Afghanistan by mid-2006.

Karzai, who was on an official three-day visit here, was also to meet with Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and EU officials.

Karzai was elected president on October 9, 2004 in Afghanistan's first democratic elections.

In Strasbourg on Tuesday, he spoke before the European Parliament and called on the European Union to keep up its support for several years more.