"Barack Obama has already announced that he will make Afghanistan a priority and I am delighted because we have to put all of our energy and willpower into helping Afghanistan to stand up on its own feet," Sarkozy told the Saudi daily Asharq Al-Awsat.

"A key to the solution will also be opening a broad political dialogue that would allow all Afghans who want to, and renounce violence, to participate in the rebuilding of their country," the French president was quoted as saying in the interview published ahead of his Saturday meeting with Saudi King Abdullah in Jeddah.

Sarkozy also welcomed Obama's recent statements regarding Iran, which has refused international appeals to halt uranium enrichment.

Obama's statements "reflect our shared views on the necessity of dialogue without concessions with Tehran as the only way to obtain a negotiated end to the crisis," Sarkozy was quoted as saying.

Iran has insisted that its nuclear programme is peaceful, but Western nations suspect it wants to master uranium enrichment in order to build a nuclear weapon.

Sarkozy was due to meet with Abdullah Saturday afternoon in Jeddah after a brief visit stop in Doha to address a UN-organised conference on financing development being attended by a number of African leaders.

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