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France pledges Afghanistan troops

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said he will send more troops to Afghanistan to support Nato's mission.
Mr Sarkozy, who is on a state visit to Britain, said he would make the offer at next week's Nato summit in the Romanian capital, Bucharest.

Nato leaders have frequently called on member countries to contribute more soldiers to the mission in Afghanistan.

The Nato-led International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) currently has over 43,000 personnel in Afghanistan.

In a speech to the British parliament in London, Mr Sarkozy said defeat to Taleban insurgents was not an option.

"In Afghanistan something essential is being played out," he said.

"France has proposed a strategy to its allies in the Atlantic alliance to enable the Afghan people and their legitimate government to build peace.

The speech was a good start to the 'entente amicale' that Mr Sarkozy wants

"If these proposals are accepted, during the summit in Bucharest, France will propose reinforcing its military presence."

Mr Sarkozy did not say how many more troops he was proposing to send.

According to Nato figures, France currently has 1,515 soldiers in Afghanistan, mostly in Kabul.

Canada recently threatened to pull out its 2,500 troops from Afghanistan if other allies did not contribute more troops and equipment.