Defense ministers and military officials from 10 European and North African nations were meeting Tuesday in Paris to address security issues in the crucial Mediterranean basin. The officials from the so-called "5 plus 5" group of nations were putting together a program for future work during the one-day meeting, officials said. The group, composed of the five Muslim North African nations and five European nations on the southern rim of the Mediterranean, was set up in 1990 as a means of holding an "informal dialogue" on concerns considered vital to the region. Foreign ministers of the group met in Algeria last month, tackling issues such as illegal immigration and terrorism. The "5 plus 5" group is made up of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Malta on the European side and Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania and Libya, all North African nations.
