The French ambassador to Britain has rejected claims that his country is holding back economic growth in Africa.

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on Tuesday, Daniel Bernard disputed comments, reported to have been made by international development secretary Clare Short, that France and the EU is holding Africa back through protectionist trade policies.

Bernard said France backed talks to end tariffs on goods from Africa, and he said the French government was working with Britain on other initiatives to end poverty in Africa.

"We have started working together with the British because we think the problem in Africa is so serious that we have to surmount old rivalries," he said.

During the final stage of the tour of West Africa, on which she accompanied the prime minister, Short sparked the row by claiming the EU - and France in particular - was "trying to lock Africa into poverty."

British-backed proposals to open up trade were being blocked by Brussels, she said.

On Monday Number 10 gave strong support for the minister saying her comments were largely centred on the EU's common agricultural policy.

"The prime minister's views on the common agricultural policy should not come as a surprise to anyone," said the official spokesman.

Successive British governments have pursued a policy of backing CAP reform, but change has been slow.

However, reform is becoming increasingly urgent as the EU expands into Central and Eastern Europe. The inclusion of large numbers of smaller farms, particularly in Poland, would push up the cost of the CAP to unsustainable levels.

Agricultural support schemes are already the largest single area of expenditure for the EU.