Moroccan-born French writer runs for European elections

Moroccan-born French writer, Tahar Benjelloun, will run for the European elections under the banner of the Italian "Democrats' Movement" of Romano Prodi, former Italian prime minister and new chairman of the European Commission.

In an interview with French magazine "L"Express," Benjelloun explained that his election to the European Parliament, as the first French-Moroccan member of the institution, would contribute to foster dialogue between the North and the South.

He said the success of his book "Le Racisme Explique a ma Fille" (Racism Explained to my Daughter) was surely behind the Italian party's initiative to ask him to run for the European elections. "The book has surely played a role in this initiative. I do not see any other reason, as I have no special ideology," Benjelloun, winner of the 1987 French prize "Prix Goncourt" said.