AFP - The French recession will slow down this year and the country will begin a return to "sluggish" growth in early 2010, the International Monetary Fund said Sunday.
   
"The economic contraction is expected to slow in the remainder of 2009, followed by a sluggish return to growth beginning in early 2010," the IMF said in a report following consultations with France, the fourth largest contributor to the international body.
   
"Given underlying economic structures and early policy action, France has weathered the current crisis better than most other large economies."
   
But the fund cautioned that "the country remains in deep recession, and short-term policies to support recovery are essential."