Paris, Dec 21, SPA -- Defense ministers and military officials from10 European and North African nations were meeting Tuesdayin Paris to address security issues in the crucialMediterranean basin. The officials from the so-called "5 plus 5" group ofnations were putting together a program for future workduring the one-day meeting, officials said. The group, composed of the five Muslim North Africannations and five European nations on the southern rim ofthe Mediterranean, was set up in 1990 as a means of holdingan "informal dialogue" on concerns considered vital tothe 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 Africannations.--SPA1312 Local Time 1012 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/226526