London: French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to bolster France's troop numbers in Afghanistan during a sweeping speech today, the first day of a state visit to Britain that emphasized the shared history that binds the two nations.

Sarkozy made the troop pledge in a speech to lawmakers at the Houses of Parliament, and said would confirm the offer during a NATO summit next week in Bucharest, Romania.

He did not specify a number, and said that sending more French troops would depend on NATO guarantees that Afghan would be given more responsibility and that non military efforts would be better coordinated. "France wil propose, at the Bucharest summit, to strengthen its military presence," Sarkozy said, speaking in the House of Parliament's grand Royal Gallery.

Sarkozy, who won a standing ovation at the end of a near 4-minute speech, also urged China's government to hold talks with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

He was joined in Britain for a round of meetings with Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Gordon Brown by his glamorous wife, the model-turned-singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

Source : PTI