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    January 21, 2012

French Defense Minister Visits Afghanistan

   VOA News
   French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet (R) stands in front of the four
   coffins of French soldiers to pays his respects during a ceremony at
   Kabul Airport in Kabul on January 21, 2012.
   Photo: AFP
   French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet (R) stands in front of the four
   coffins of French soldiers to pays his respects during a ceremony at
   Kabul Airport in Kabul on January 21, 2012.

   The French defense minister arrived in Kabul Saturday for talks with
   Afghan President Hamid Karzai, a day after an Afghan solider shot and
   killed four French troops.
   Gerard Longuet said France remains committed to bringing stability to
   Afghanistan. His comment follows a threat from Paris to accelerate its
   troop withdrawal following the deaths of the soldiers.
   Longuet said he is in Afghanistan to determine the position France will
   take following the attack in eastern Kapisa province that also wounded
   15 French troops.
   The French defense minister met some of the wounded soldiers at Kabul's
   airport before their evacuation to France. He said the men were victims
   of the trust they had in the Afghan soldiers they were training.
   He said Friday the French troops were not armed when the attacker
   opened fire. The shooter has been taken into custody.
   Longuet is due to brief French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the
   measures being taken by the Afghans to guarantee security conditions
   for the French trainers.
   President Sarkozy has suspended military operations in Afghanistan. Mr.
   Sarkozy said Friday it is "unacceptable" that Afghan troops would
   attack French soldiers.
   A Taliban spokesman praised the attacker, but did not claim
   responsibility for the shooting.
   U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rejected speculation that
   France plans to accelerate withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan.
   She told reporters Friday in Washington that the U.S. is in close
   contact with France and has no reason to believe that France will do
   anything other than continue to be part of the transition process and
   exit as agreed in Lisbon.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP.

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