He was talking to newly appointed ambassador of France to Pakistan Philippe Thieband who called on him here at Prime Minister House. They exchanged views on bilateral relations with the commitment that the multifaceted co-operation between the two countries should be further enhanced during the years to come. The Prime Minister recalled his visit to France where he held very productive discussions with the French President and the Prime Minister. He appreciated the support of the French government within the fold of the European Union for pro-actively pursuing the grant of waiver to Pakistani exports to the EU market. The Prime Minister said that Pakistan was looking forward to the visit of the French Trade Minister. He made the special mention of the French Government's assistance to the earthquake and flood victims and also to the IDPs of Malakand Division. The 2.5 million IDPs were back to their homes just within a couple of months whereas about three million Afghan refugees were still in Pakistan and the world had forgotten about them, the Prime Minister maintained. Gilani expressed deep sense of gratitude to the French government on the issue of OBL by sending positive messages and also engaging other EU partners to extend support to Pakistan. Gilani said Pakistan suffered the most in the war on terror in terms of lives and the economy. However, Pakistani nation has the will, capacity and resolve to defeat the scourges of militancy and extremism, the Prime Minister stated. He expressed his best wishes for the new ambassador and hoped that during his stay, the relations between both countries would further improve for the benefit of people of the two countries. The French ambassador appreciated the role of Pakistan in the war on terror adding that the country's contribution for peace- keeping was commendable. The ambassador said that Pakistan as a member of United Nation Security Council was best placed to play a significant role for the promotion of peace at international level and France welcomed it. The ambassador said that the French investors were keen to invest in Pakistan in the sector of energy and specially asked for facilitating the potential investors. French ambassador said that trade between the two countries had been showing positive trends and both the countries should endeavour to keep up this trend.