A French foreign ministry official said the aim was to examine ways in which the international community could contribute most effectively to the actions of the next Afghan government.

Almost half of the ballots of the recent presidential election have been counted so far, with incumbent Hamid Karzai leading with over 45 percent of the vote.

His closest rival, Abdullah Abdullah, who claims widespread rigging and fraud in the polls, has just over 30 percent.

To avoid a run off, a candidate must win 50 percent of the vote.

Meanwhile the US commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal has called for a shift in strategy to deal with Taliban insurgents.