France sees no long-term army role in Afghanistan

PARIS, Apr 27 (Reuters) France has no intention of playing a long-term military role in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said today, hours before a Taliban deadline for a pullout to save French hostages expired.

Douste-Blazy, who supports right-wing presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, told Europe 1 radio that Sarkozy was right to say he saw no long-term presence in Afghanistan for the roughly 1,100 French forces stationed there.

''I think he is totally right. It goes in the same direction as the policy of President Jacques Chirac,'' Douste-Blazy said, adding that France had already withdrawn 200 special forces troops before the hostage crisis.

''We have no vocation to stay, occupying a country in the long-term. Moreover it is against France's values of respecting sovereignty, national independence and territorial integrity,'' Douste-Blazy added.

The Taliban captured two French aid workers in southwestern Afghanistan at the start of April and has threatened to kill them unless France withdraws its troops from the country as one of the conditions for their release.

The Taliban gave France a week on April 20 to pull its forces out of the country.

The French are part of a 35,000-strong NATO-led operation in Afghanistan, which took over command of a war against the Taliban from US-led forces last year.

Reuters KK VV1627