Clinton doubts France will accelerate Afghan pullout

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced doubt Friday that France would accelerate its troop pullout from Afghanistan, after four French troops were killed by an Afghan soldier.

"I'm in great sympathy with what happened to the French soldiers," Clinton told a press conference in Washington with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.

"It was terrible and I can certainly appreciate the strong feelings that are being expressed," the chief US diplomat said.

"We are in close contact with our French colleagues and we have no reason to believe that France will do anything other than continue to be part of the very carefully considered transition process as we look at our exit as previously agreed upon in Lisbon," Clinton added.

In Lisbon, on November 20, 2010, NATO leaders endorsed a plan for their soldiers to start handing security responsibilities to Afghan forces, with the aim of ceding full control by the end of 2014.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned Friday he may accelerate the French withdrawal from Afghanistan after an Afghan soldier shot dead four unarmed French troops during a sports session inside a base.

Sarkozy suspended French military training and joint combat operations with Afghan troops, and sent Defense Minister Gerard Longuet to probe an attack in which at least 15 French soldiers were also wounded, eight seriously.

Westerwelle said he was "shocked by the tragic deaths of French and the American soldiers in Afghanistan," referring also to the deaths of six US soldiers in a helicopter crash on Thursday, though apparently not from enemy fire.

"I would like to express my sympathies and my deepest condolences in the name of the Federal Republic of Germany to all the families and to the relatives," he said.

But he added: "It's clear tragic setbacks such as this must not stop our engagement for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan! ."