France-Madagascar - France is willing to help Madagascar out of its crisis on the basis of an agreement signed under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the spokesperson for the French foreign affairs ministry, Romain Nadal said on Tuesday in Paris.

Speaking in a press briefing, he said the agreement signed on 17 September in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, by parties close to former presidents Marc Ravalomanana and Albert Zafy, was the result of a diplomatic process which the Malagasy people had been expecting for months.

'France congratulates all stakeholders for their determination and sense of compromise,' Mr Nadal said.

He expressed the wish that all Malagasy, through negotiation, would overcome all possible impediments in the way of the implementation of the agreement negotiated under the aegis of Mozambican president, Joaquim Chissano.

Parties close to the former presidents Ravalomanana and Zafy last Friday night signed the agreement drafted by SADC which sets out, among other points, a negotiated management of the transition period and the holding of early general election.

The agreement also spells out the return to the country of 'all political exiles', which meets a demand of the party of former president Marc Ravalomanana, who has been in exile in South Africa since he was ousted from power in 2009.

It also urges Madagascar’s technical and financial partners to begin progressive resumption of their aid for development on the basis of the progress made as far as the out of crisis agreement is concerned.

Pana 21/09/2011