An international stabilization force of 15,000 soldiers to be established.

"You need a third party, hence my suggestion for a stabilization force."

He added that the Pentagon was seeking troops from other countries to join a postwar stabilization force.

The accord envisaged a second resolution, two to three weeks later, that would create a new international stabilization force.

Still, the Bush administration was circumspect about London's plans for a stabilization force.

The international stabilization force may well need to extend its presence beyond Kabul to provide security during the transition from warlord control.

Under the current plan, much of the combat force would be withdrawn while a new stabilization force is rotated in.

Once a stabilization force is established, an American-led international effort should be mounted to train professional, politically independent police officers and judges.

Britain has 5,300 soldiers in the international stabilization force in Bosnia, second in numbers to America's 8,500.

The division is a unit of the German Army's stabilization forces and specializes in conflicts of low intensity.