French Defence Minister Herve Morin was quoted on Thursday as saying it was counterproductive to talk of withdrawing the 3,500 French troops serving with NATO forces in Afghanistan. In an interview to appear in Friday's La Croix newspaper, he also said Paris had opened a "serious negotiating channel" to achieve the release of two French journalists who have been held hostage in Afghanistan for nearly seven months, according to Reuters. France has just lost its 45th soldier in the country since its troops took part in the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 to oust the Islamist Taliban movement and fight its Al Qaeda allies. But while both the United States and Britain have set target dates to withdraw some or all of their forces, Morin said: "To talk of withdrawal today is counterproductive. "As long as security and stability are not effective in a zone, we must continue our mission. But intermediate stages should be set so public opinion doesn't get the impression of a useless effort," he was quoted as saying.
