The White House has said that it will take no decision on sending more troops to Afghanistan until it determines the new government is a "true partner".

白宫发言人称，直到确定阿富汗新政府是“真正的合作者”之前，不会向阿富汗派遣更多部队。

The focus, Mr Emanuel says, should be on governance, not troops

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told CNN TV it would be "reckless（鲁莽的）" to take such a decision without a thorough analysis of the new government.

Washington is debating a request for 40,000 more troops in Afghanistan.

Results from an investigation¹ into fraud claims in the presidential poll are due in the next few days.

It is expected to reveal that incumbent² President（现任总统） Hamid Karzai did not achieve more than the 50% of votes needed to avoid a second round.

Strategy

Mr Karzai insists he won the 20 August vote but EU observers say that as many as one in four votes cast was suspicious.

Foreign officials - including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner - have been pressing Mr Karzai to accept that he might have to face a run-off（决定性竞赛）.

Speaking to CNN, Mr Emanuel said the US would want first to be sure that the government was capable of becoming a "true partner" able to govern the country.

"It would be reckless to make a decision on US troop level if, in fact, you haven't done a thorough analysis of whether, in fact, there's an Afghan partner ready to fill that space that the US troops would create and become a true partner in governing the Afghan country," he said.

Gen Stanley McChrystal, the US and Nato commander in the country, has recommended sending the extra troops as the US reviews its strategy.

But Mr Emanuel said that the number of soldiers deployed³ in the country was secondary to whether or not they could work alongside an effective Afghan administration.

"The question does not come how many troops you send, but do you have a credible⁴ Afghan partner for this process that can provide the security and the type of services that the Afghan people need?" he told CNN's State of the Union programme.

Results delayed

Initial results from August's election gave Mr Karzai 55% of the votes, with his nearest rival, Abdullah Abdullah, getting 28%.

But the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) launched an investigation into the vote following allegations of widespread electoral fraud.

It will report to the Independent Election Commission (IEC), which could adjust the final tally⁵（计算）, bringing Mr Karzai's vote total below 50% and triggering a run-off.

Officials say Mr Karzai is furious（狂怒的，猛烈的） over the prospect⁶ of facing a second round, threatening to delay or block attempts to hold a second round.

He has refused to accept the ECC's findings before they are released.

The ECC had been expected to announce its findings on Saturday. But the reported confrontation⁷（对审，面对） with Mr Karzai may delay the official announcement of results.