France opens 100 million francs credit line for Tunisia

France will open a 100-million-franc credit line to help in the financial restructuring of Tunisian firms, officials said.

The accord was signed on Monday in Tunis between Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) and the Tunisian Ministry of International Cooperation and Foreign Investment.

"This agreement illustrates the continuity of France's support to the processus for the modernization of the Tunisian economy," French Finance Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn told reporters after the signing ceremony.

Strauss-Kahn also met Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to whom he handed a letter from French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. Jospin would visit Tunisia early next year, he said.