RIYADH, Oct 27: The Saudi Crown Prince said on Saturday Pakistan must be “closely associated” with a political settlement for Afghanistan and that the crisis cannot be solved by force alone.

In talks with French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz emphasized the need for finding a “political solution in Afghanistan and to closely involve Pakistan and President Pervez Musharraf in the search for a settlement,” a member of Vedrine’s entourage who attended the meeting said.

“He (Abdullah) also pointed out that a protracted military campaign would threaten Gen Musharraf,” the official said.

According to the French official, Prince Abdullah argued that “force alone would not bring a solution” in Afghanistan, and he urged Vedrine to dis-cuss a French proposal for a settlement with Pakistani leaders.

The French foreign minister promised to do so “very soon”, the official said.

An Afghan “plan of action” proposed by France on Oct 1 envisages parallel efforts on four fronts: humanitarian, political, economic and security (to rid the country of landmines).

The French plan aims at speeding up moves to promote a political process for a peaceful transition in Afghanistan.

Vedrine arrived in Riyadh on a brief visit earlier on Saturday for talks with Saudi leaders on the crisis sparked by the Sept 11 attacks on the US and the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli clashes.—AFP