Alliot-Marie Tuesday met former King Zaher Shah, President Hamid Karzai, Defence Minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim and UN special representative to Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi.

She also visited a camp where French and United States experts are helping train a future Afghan army, as well as a German field hospital.

"The meetings focused on the security situation in Kabul and rest of the country, on the formation of institutions and on the politics of the entire sub-region," she told reporters.

The former king told her of the pressing need to rebuild Afghanistan's cultural heritage.

"There are urgent tasks here," he told the minister and referred to the giant Buddha statues at Bamiyan which were destroyed during the ousted Taliban regime.

"France hopes your country regains its former prestige," Alliot-Marie told the ex-monarch.

"We will help efforts to rebuild Afghan heritage and will reinforce cultural links with Afghanistan," she said.

In 2002, France gave Afghanistan 28.8 million euros (dollars) in aid, about 80 percent of the promised amount. It is also active in helping rebuid schools destroyed during long years of civil war.

President Karzai told AFP following the meeting with Alloit-Marie, "we are completely satisfied with the copperation between France and Afghanistan today."

France has some 500 men in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) defending the Kabul airport, or keeping watch over the Shomali plains between Kabul and Bagram.

The French are also helping train the future Afghan army. It's sixth batallion is currently being formed and Alliot-Marie told her counterpart Fahim, "this military academy is a good example of France's engagement in Afghanistan to help rebuild institutions."

Alloit-Marie, however ruled out deployment of French soldiers outside Kabul.

"Our aim is to help train an Afghan army and that not at all require us to be deployed outside Kabul," she told reporters.

ISAF's mandate is restricted to Kabul.

Alliot-Marie asked Fahim about the security situation, disarming of people and the militias as well as about attacks and acts of violence.

Fahim was reported to have said, "the security situation in the whole of Afghanistan is very good," and that a mere handful of violent acts had taken place, given the number of weapons in the hands of the citizenry.

He called for building a "strong central government, in the face of vast influence wielded by local potentates.

During her Dushanbe visit, Alliot-Marie said she had chosen to spend New Year among the soldiers stationed in Kabul over those stationed in other hotspots around the world because they live and work "the farthest away and probably in the most difficult conditions".

SPACE.WIRE