PARIS, July 5 (KUNA) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday appointed former Prime Minister Edouard Balladur as "Special Envoy" to Arab countries that are currently in transition after the so-called "Arab Spring" movements in a number of North African nations.
Balladur will be the representative of the Group of 8 (G8) powerful nations, which France currently presides until the end of 2011.
At the G8 summit in Deauville last month, it was decided to set up a "Deauville Partnership" with such countries as Tunisia and Egypt, which are to get special assistance from the wealthier nations.
Balladur will visit several countries at the end of July to explore how the G8 nations can assist with the transition in these countries.
He will also be working in coordination with the major international institutions for finance and development like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) among others.
The G8 is composed of the United States, Russia, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada. (end) jk.hb KUNA 051731 Jul 11NNNN