AFP - French President Nicolas Sarkozy met here Wednesday with African leaders and appealed for international help for the Congo basin, home to the world's second biggest forest.

"These countries cannot on their own maintain a forest that is the heritage of humanity," he told reporters after the meeting with leaders and ministers from 11 countries in the region.

"The whole idea is that in Copenhagen we mobilise extremely important means to help them," he said, referring to key UN climate talks due to end Friday in the Danish capital.

On Tuesday, France and African states issued a joint statement backing targets to limit the rise in global temperatures to two degrees Celsius and to offer financial aid to help poor countries adapt.

The statement came after Sarkozy met in Paris with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi as part of a joint Europe-Africa push to reach a global deal at the UN climate talks.

Meles is to represent the 53 member states of the African Union at the talks.

Sarkozy said he wanted the United States' support for 10 billion dollars (6.7 billion euros) of financial aid per year for poorer states between 2010 and 2012, a proposal agreed by Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown last month.

He later told France's Canal Plus television that US President Barack Obama was a "good partner" but acknowledged the "difficulties convincing the American public and politicians" on the need for action.

He also said he had "a good hope that the Chinese will move in the right direction."

"I don't foresee a failure (at Copenhagen) because failure would be catastrophic, in the sense that it will be a long time before the 110 heads of state and government meet again in the same capital and on the same subject," he added.

"The country that risks breaking this international agreement will be isolated and will be burdened with an unbearable historic responsibility."