PARIS, May 15 (Xinhua) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy Friday promised 12 million euros (16 million U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid for Pakistan at a meeting with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Paris, a French source said.

    According to the source, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari visited Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday as part of a trip to seek support on fight against Taliban extremism. After a meeting between the two leaders, the Elysee Palace announced that France pledged 12 million euros "in response to gravity of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the valley of Swat."

    Zardari said Sarkozy had been very generous during the meeting at the Elysee Palace. "We've come to an understanding for a larger cooperation for the strengthening of Pakistan, strengthening of the war ... the war going on in this region," the president of Pakistan said.

    Zardari emphasized the need for Pakistan and its neighbor countries to cooperate closely to against the Taliban extremism and all other terrorist threat. "It is a war against a mindset and there is no time limit for the offensive," he said.

    Zardari visited Paris after his tour to Washington and London. It was his first official trip to France since he became president in 2008. There are about 50,000 Pakistani people in France, as France is not a traditional major player with Pakistan on diplomacy and economy.