Carthage — Caretaker Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali conferred, on Tuesday afternoon in Dar Dhiafa palace in Carthage, with Delegate Minister in charge of French expatriates Hélène Conway-Mouret.

At the end of the encounter, the French Minister said that the talk was "very cordial and frank" underlining that "France and Tunisia are capable to speak directly and evoke issues of mutual interest."

"France is very present in Tunisia and wants to continue to be so" she said, specifying she had also evoked with PM Hamadi Jebali the next visit of French President François Hollande in Tunisia "when the agendas of Presidents Hollande and Marzouki coincide".

"François Hollande intends to visit Tunisia next spring and may be within a few weeks," the French Minister said.

She also indicated that the talk with the Prime Minister was an occasion to evoke bilateral exchanges in matters of trade, culture and human resources, as well as the role of the civil society after the Revolution in building modern Tunisia.

Besides, the talk turned on the situation in Mali which, she said "worries Tunisia, the Maghreb and the neighbouring African countries" as well as the intervention of France in this country.