French Prime Minister Francois Fillon (L), French Economy Minister

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon (L), French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde (C) and Algerian President Abdelazziz Bouteflika speak to the press on June 22, 2008 after their meeting in Algiers. Bouteflika refused to declare on June 22 whether he would attend a summit in Paris on July 13 that could see the launch of a union of Mediterranean nations. The proposed Mediterranean Union is a pet project of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who paid a state visit to Algiers in December 2007, and whose government takes over the presidency of the European Union on July 1. Fillon is on a two-day official visit to Algeria.
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