Paris - The French opposition Tuesday demanded a vote of no confidence in President Nicolas Sarkozy as a storm blew up over his plans to send troop reinforcements to Afghanistan. An opinion poll has shown 68 per cent of French people opposing any strengthening of the French troop presence in Afghanistan and just 15 per cent approving the extra deployment.
"We oppose getting involved in a conflict which makes no sense and has no goal," said Socialist MP Jean-Marc Ayrault during a stormy debate in the National Assembly.
Sarkozy, he said, was sending troops into danger without informing parliament, and only in order to cosy up to the United States - in contrast to pledges made during last year's presidential election to pull troops out.
Ayrault, who is opposition leader in the National Assembly, accused Sarkozy of having an "Atlantic obsession".
The United States and Britain have been calling on NATO partners to send more soldiers to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, and Sarkozy announced the troop increase last week during a state visit to Britain. France currently has some 2,200 troops in the region.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon told MPs France could send "a few hundred" extra troops to Afghanistan. Sarkozy was expected detail the new deployment at the NATO summit opening Wednesday in Bucharest.
"Our armed forces in Afghanistan may invest more in the command structures, particularly in Kabul, in training the Afghan army and in the units in the Afghan provinces," Fillon said.
