France, Mauritania discuss

by Alarab online

Officials from France and Mauritania met on Thursday to discuss ways to boost cooperation and potential assistance from France with Mauritania's development plans.

Official sources said that French Junior Minister for Cooperation and Francophone Areas, Jean-Marie Bockel, received the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Zein Ould Zeidane, for talks on bilateral relations and development issues.

France praised the reforms undertaken in the political and economic domain in Mauritania, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani said after the talks.

The French Minister also announced an additional aid contribution for Mauritania in 2008-2010, bringing the envelope for that period to 97.6 million Euros and this amount will be added to agreements being discussed in the Consultative group which is meeting until Thursday in Paris.

Mauritanian Prime Minister Zeine Ould Zeidane was leading a high-powered ministerial delegation to Paris, France, where he presided over the opening ceremony of the meeting of the Fifth Advisory Group on Mauritania scheduled for 4 to 6 December.

The meeting between Mauritania and its public and private development partners has been described as important, as it hopes to receive commitment for the financing of the country's Poverty Alleviation Strategic Framework for the next five years.