Tunisia to open fresh relations with France by solving old problem

The Tunisian council of deputies agreed in its meeting yesterday on a draft law regarding settling French estate properties in Tunis that were owned by the French people before Tunisian independence in 1956, worth many millions of Tunisian dinars.

A Tunisian source told ArabicNews.com that President Zein al-Abadin bin Ali agreed with French President Jacques Chirac during his visit to France in October 1997 to settle this problem.

The sources added that ending this problem will open a new page in French - Tunisian ties, especially because Tunisia is entering into a partnership with the European Union.