French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner this afternoon spoke on the need for burden sharing in the problem of illegal migration to be spread from the south of the EU to the north.

Addressing a news conference with Foreign Minister Tonio Borg, Mr Kouchner referred to a ceremony at the university in the morning during which he was awarded a doctorate honoris causa saying it had been a very moving ceremony.

He said that Malta was facing a huge burden with regards to illegal migration and the EU needed to share the burden with the country. France, he said, had already promised to take 80 immigrants but this was not enough.

Dr Borg said that besides irregular migration, he and his French counterpart discussed the EU Arab league and the office of the Union for the Mediterranean.

Dr Borg thanked France for its gesture in accepting 80 immigrants from Malta - the highest number ever taken by a European country so far.

Discussions between Malta and France, he said, would continue at an EU and a bilateral level.

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