Withdrawal from Afghanistan. Jean-Yves Le Drian prepares an exit from the north

By the end of the year, France will have removed 2,000 of the 3,500 soldiers in Afghanistan présnets.The bulk of the troops was repatriated by air. But the material must go by land or sea. Several scenarios are being considered, including that which now works on Tuesday and Jean-Yves Le Drian, defense minister, traveling in Uzbekistan. This Sunday, Jean-Yves Le Drian has already prepared the ground in Kazakhstan. [

The withdrawal of the equipment must be here, using a mixed air to Abu Dhabi (UAE), then shipping to France. In total, about 800 vehicles - heavy armor, VAB ... - And more than 1,000 containers, have yet to be repatriated, the French troops deployed in Afghanistan with the equipment being often the most sophisticated armies.

But the passage from the north would reduce such costs. Two scenarios are considered.

. A transit agreement with Kazakhstan and would open one of two possible routes north, air from Kabul to Kazakhstan (Astana), then rail to the Baltic states. The dialogue is well advanced in this direction, the Kazakh government is rather clear agreement.

. Another possible route, passing through Uzbekistan (Tashkent) should be the focus of discussion of Mr. Le Drian with the authorities of that country. Discussions are ongoing.

NATO has already negotiated an exit from the north

Other countries in the multinational force (ISAF), including the United States, having begun to withdraw their troops, exit routes from Afghanistan may be particularly congested. Discussions, often financial, are also underway at NATO with neighboring countries. In early June, NATO has also announced an agreement with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to repatriate the material.

Milestones for bilateral cooperation

There is also talk of paving the way to ensure a presence of France in these countries. Civil necessarily. In this tour of Central Asia, Jean-Yves Le Drian first effect "after the military", already engaging the principle of bilateral cooperation, particularly for industry. hence his visit to Astana, a factory assembly of Eurocopter helicopters. The defense minister has also met with representatives of Total and EADS.