France to send troops to northern Afghanistan
France will send soldiers to northern Afghanistan within days to help secure the area for aid workers.
President Jacques Chirac won't reveal the size of the force but says it concerns army troops.
He says France is willing to use military means to help get humanitarian aid into the country.
"We are now working on France's contribution, in association with other countries in the coalition, no doubt, to establish a security base that will re-establish infrastructure and normal living conditions in the northern zone," Defence Minister Alain Richard said.
A French delegation has already traveled to Uzbekistan to gauge the level of military assistance needed to help humanitarian organisations in northern Afghanistan, Defence Ministry spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau said.
The four-person team is working with US forces stationed in the Mazar-e-Sharif area of northern Afghanistan, Mr Bureau told a regular news briefing.
"The situation in the Mazar-e-Sharif area is not secure enough for non-governmental organizations to work," Bureau said.
"We are currently evaluating the nature of a French contribution to facilitate the transport of humanitarian aid."
In an interview published Thursday, Foreign Minster Hubert Vedrine said there is "an urgent need for an international military presence ... to maintain security" in Afghanistan following the UN Security Council's adoption of a resolution endorsing efforts to fill the political vacuum in Afghanistan and provide security.
A multinational security force could be involved in "providing security in the cities, airstrips and refugee camps and escorting refugees home," he told Le Monde newspaper.
