F. Hollande wants to negotiate with the allies in Chicago the withdrawal by the end of 2012

(B2) The dice are thrown. In a keynote speech held on Sunday (January 22) at Le Bourget, François Hollande, the Socialist Party candidate for the presidential elections, confirmed this. He intends to assume the withdrawal of French troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year. " We must have the lucidity to say - beyond the men who devote themselves there that our mission is over" he asserted. The decision of President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, more than ten years ago, to participate in NATO operations in Afghanistan, " had a specific purpose: to respond to the terrorist attack on the United States. I had fully approved of it " he added. “Today, this mission completed. It is therefore time to decide on the necessary withdrawal ».

The withdrawal of troops should take place at the end of 2012, but in good order. Hollande, in a very presidential posture, in front of a rostrum tinted with blue white red, specified that he intended to go to the NATO summit in Chicago at the end of May, with the firm intention of explaining the French position and of being able to negotiate this withdrawal. "  I'll let our allies know. This withdrawal will be done in good order, without in any way threatening the life of , "He said.

A decision that will force the Alliance allies to accelerate the withdrawal schedule. It's a safe bet that few countries will jostle to replace the starters. And other countries, especially European ones, could move in this direction.

Read also: A turning point in France's Afghan policy