WASHINGTON In a significant move, Karl Eikenberry, the US ambassador to Afghanistan and a former top military commander there, has recommended that President Barack Obama should not send more troops to the war-torn country for the time being, according to media reports, citing a US official. The advice, which counters a troop-increase request from the current American commander in Afghanistan, was sent by cable to Washington, the official said. Following Eikenberrys strong dissent against sending more forces, President Barack Obama Wednesday rejected all four options presented by advisers in the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy discussions. The Washington Post, which earlier reported Eikenberrys advice, said the ambassador expressed concern about deploying more troops before Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his government take stronger steps to fight corruption and mismanagement. Obama met with his top national security advisers Wednesday to consider four options for the US strategy in Afghanistan and to discuss how long it would take to put each in place. An administration official said afterward that Obama hasnt made a final decision on the troop-increase request by General Stanley McChrystal, who commands US and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan. The president believes the US needs to make clear to the Afghan government that Americas commitment to the country isnt open-ended, said the official in a statement. The official also said that governance in Afghanistan must improve within a reasonable period of time. The president does not plan to accept any of the strategy options that have been presented and is seeking revisions to make clear how and when the US would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, an administration official said. Obama met for more than two hours with Defence Secretary Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, General David Petraeus, who commands US forces in the Middle East and Asia, Richard Holbrooke, special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and others. McChrystal joined by teleconference from Afghanistan. He wants to add as many as 40,000 troops to the US force there thats scheduled to number 68,000 by the end of the year, including 21,000 that Obama authorized earlier this year. Theres been a lot of discussion about the additional resourcing as well as a refinement of objectives, Petraeus said on CNN before the meeting. I think that we are indeed nearing a decision. The session was Obamas eighth with his national security team on the Afghan decision. The president is doing this in a very purposeful and deliberate way, White House Press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday. A decision may come after Obama returns Nov 19 from a four-nation visit to Asia, he said. Once a decision is made, the president will take the time to explain. All allies await the American decision, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, North Atlantic Treaty Organization secretary general, said in an interview in London with the British Broadcasting Corp. He declined to comment on how many troops he wants on the ground. Obama named Eikenberry as the ambassador to Afghanistan earlier this year. The general previously served two military stints in Afghanistan, including one as the head of American and NATO forces there. At his Senate confirmation hearing in March, he termed the situation in Afghanistan increasingly difficult and said time is of the essence. He said there will be no substitute for more resources and sacrifice, while also calling on the US and its allies to sharpen their focus on strengthening the capabilities of the central and local governments to provide security, healthcare, education and jobs for the populace. Afghanistan may be able to take more responsibility for security next year, opening the way for western forces there to pull out, Rasmussen told Sky News. We will hand over responsibility to the Afghan security forces as their capacity develops, and that can start next year. Ten Republican members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, including John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, sent Obama a letter the other day asking him to fully support General McChrystals call for additional resources and troops. On this Veterans Day, young Americans are fighting in Afghanistan in what General McChrystal describes as a situation headed toward defeat unless we act while we still have the opportunity to turn the tide and regain the initiative, the senators wrote in the letter. The president honoured military veterans on Wednesday in a speech at Arlington National Cemetery for the national holiday, saying that no commemoration, no praise can match their service. Our servicemen and women have been doing right by America for generations, Obama said. There is no tribute, no commemoration, no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice, he said. As long as I am commander-in-chief, Americas going to do right by them. Obama spoke after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, a white marble sarcophagus housing the remains of unknown American soldiers from World Wars I, II and the Korean conflict. Obamas trip to Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea will be his first journey to Asia as president. Reuters adds: Meanwhile, President Barack Obama left for Asia on Thursday with the US economy, jobs and a yawning trade deficit with China looming large on his agenda. Global climate change, the North Korean and Iranian nuclear disputes and Obamas review of his Afghanistan strategy are also major topics for his talks with the Chinese and other officials on the first trip to Asia of his presidency. I will be meeting with leaders abroad to discuss a strategy for growth that is both balanced and broadly shared, Obama said at the White House before departing for Japan, underlining the economic focus of his week-long trip. It is a strategy in which Asia and Pacific markets are open to our exports and one in which prosperity around the world is no longer as dependent on American consumption and borrowing but rather on American innovation and products. Obamas nine-day tour includes a stop in Singapore for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, followed by visits to Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul. Obama said he would talk to the Chinese about revaluing their currency, the yuan, as well as encouraging Chinese consumers to spend more and opening Chinese markets further to U.S. goods.