France holds Afghan talks - BBC

French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine is in Delhi for talks with Indian leaders about the US-led campaign against Osama Bin Laden and the Taleban in Afghanistan.

Mr Vedrine will meet his Indian counterpart Jaswant Singh and other officials during his day-long visit before leaving for Pakistan for similar discussions.

The visit comes a day after India appointed a special envoy to hold talks with other countries on plans for an alternative Afghan government.

The new envoy is Satinder Lambah, a former ambassador to Pakistan and Russia. Several countries, including Britain and France, have also recently appointed special Afghan envoys. His first assignment is to meet Mr Vedrine, and he is due to see a British envoy, Robert Cooper, later in the week.