BRUSSELS - Leaked diplomatic memos say European Union President Herman Van Rompuy told America's ambassador that the EU no longer believes in success in Afghanistan, and that European troops are still there "out of deference to the United States."

US Ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman, in the memo released by WikiLeaks, quotes Van Rompuy as saying that the EU will wait until the end of 2010 to see progress.

Van Rompuy, the former Belgian prime minister who at the time was EU president-designate, reportedly said that "if it doesn't work, that will be it, because it is the last chance."

America's European allies contribute about 30,000 troops to the US-led international force.