French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said today that his country was prepared to stick it out in Afghanistan, according to dpa. "Continued French assistance to Afghanistan is something Afghan people can count on and we are committed to our presence as long as necessary," Fillon told reporters in a joint press conference with President Hamid Karzai in Kabul. Fillon arrived on an unannounced trip on Thursday in Kabul, where he met Karzai, other Afghan and NATO military officials. According to a statement released by Karzai's office, Fillon also said his country "strongly supports" a new peace plan, presented by Karzai at last month's London conference on Afghanistan. Under the new peace initiative, the Afghan government is to provide low and mid-level Taliban with protection, jobs and other incentives in return for them renouncing violence. The government also said that it was ready to reconcile with Taliban leaders if they were ready to sever their ties with al-Qaeda, but NATO officials said the militants would not accept this offer and start negotiations unless they are weakened on the military front. Karzai thanked Paris for its assistance over the past several years, saying France "is one of Afghanistan's great and old friends whose friendship dates back to century-long relations." "As the president, it is my duty to provide my people with a secure life which we believe is impossible without ensuring peace," Karzai said. "I would do it even if it can be achieved through talking with every single individual." France has around 3,700 soldiers as part of around 113,000 international troops in Afghanistan. Some French soldiers will be part of 15,000 NATO-led troops that are launch a much-anticipated, highly publicized operation against a Taliban redoubt in the southern province of Helmand, which is expected to get underway in the coming days. Afghan and NATO officials have said that the operation, dubbed Mushtarak, which means "together," would show the Taliban that they cannot achieve a final victory in this war.
