French FM to pay 2 day visit to Mauritania in mid April

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will pay a two-day visit to Mauritania on April 15-16 and meet with senior officials there, including President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz, it was announced here Friday. During his visit, both nations will sign a "partnership framework document" that will govern aspects of their relations in the 2013-2015 period. The agreement is based on sustainable development support, governance and scientific and cultural cooperation between Paris and Nouakchott. A number of bilateral conventions on development assistance will also be signed. In parallel, Fabius will attend the Western Mediterranean "5+5" group meeting which is taking place in the Mauritanian capital on April 16. This informal group includes France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Malta for the north Mediterranean and Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya for the south. The agenda for talks is expected to include terrorism in the Sahel, Syria, the Middle East peace process and a host of social-economic issues.