Afghan President Hamid karzai, left, laughs with French President Jacques Chirac after their meeting in Paris

French President Jacques Chirac has pledged his country's continued military support for the Afghan government.

The announcement came Monday during his meeting in Paris with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who arrived on Sunday for a three-day visit.

France currently has about 600 soldiers in the NATO-led international peace-keeping force in Afghanistan.

The Afghan president says he eventually wants to see the NATO peace-keeping forces and the U.S.-led combat troops merged under the unified command of NATO.