State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said negotiators were still hammering out details of the deal announced in July by presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev during a Moscow summit.

Under the terms of the agreement the United States would be allowed to launch up to 4,500 US flights a year over Russia, opening a major supply route for American operations in Afghanistan.

"We anticipate that regular flights will start as soon as we've worked out these remaining logistical details," Kelly said on Monday.

"One of the points that we're trying to iron out is notification processes that have to be in place," he added.

"And we're also working with other countries on the transit routes since anything overflying Russia to go to Afghanistan would have to fly over other countries as well."

earlier related report
Slovakia to double troops in Afghanistan: statement
London (AFP) Nov 17, 2009 - Slovakia is to double its troops in Afghanistan to around 500, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and his British counterpart Gordon Brown said after talks in London.

Brown, who is lobbying hard for other NATO allies to send more forces to the war-scarred country, added that around 10 other countries are expected to offer new contributions.

"This shows the coordinated effort we're all prepared to make to train up the Afghan forces to ensure they can take control of their own territory," he told reporters after the Downing Street talks.

A joint statement by the two premiers released by Downing Street said that Brown "welcomed (Fico's) announcement of his intention to double the presence of Slovakian troops in Afghanistan."

"The announcement by the Slovakian prime minister that he is prepared to bring extra troops to Afghanistan is very important," added Brown.

Slovakia, which joined NATO in 2004, currently has some 240 troops in Afghanistan, according to the website of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Brown, who has vowed to boost Britain's troops by 500 to 9,500, reiterated his hope that NATO and other allies can contribute an extra 5,000 -- on top of up to 40,000 extra US troops sought by the top US commander in Afghanistan.

"We will be approaching other countries and I believe that, including Britain, maybe 10 countries will be prepared to give extra support in Afghanistan," he added.

Earlier Tuesday in Edinburgh, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he was confident "substantially more forces" for Afghanistan would be announced within weeks.

US President Barack Obama is expected to announce his Afghan strategy review soon after his return from Asia next week, including whether to ramp up troop levels as sought by US commander in the country General Stanley McChrystal.

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