France could bolster its role in Afghanistan by providing more army and police training as well as reconstruction aid but is unlikely to send more troops, Defence Minister Herve Morin said late Monday.
The United States is asking European countries to contribute more troops to the Afghan mission and shore up President Barack Obama's new strategy to stabilise the country, eight years after the war was launched.
The French daily Le Monde reported on Monday that Washington had asked France to contribute 1,500 extra troops to Afghanistan.
Morin declined to comment on the specific figure from the report but confirmed "the United States is asking the Europeans for more troops."
"If there were to be an additional effort, the only effort that would make sense would be in terms of Afghan army and police training," said Morin.
"There cannot simply be a military response," he stressed, adding that the allies must also focus on "development the construction of Afghan institutions and improving governance."
"For us, building Afghan institutions is a key component of an exit strategy," he insisted.
President Nicolas Sarkozy asserted last month that France would send "not a single soldier more" to Afghanistan, but that it is committed to the mission.
Obama briefed Sarkozy and other world leaders by telephone on Monday and the French presidency said afterwards that training remained a priority for France.
With about 3,300 soldiers in Afghanistan, France is the fourth largest contributor to the NATO-led coalition battling the Taliban and training Afghan security forces.
Obama is expected to order between 30,000 and 35,000 more troops to bolster the US campaign in a nationwide televised address later Tuesday.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
