Alistair Leithead BBC, Antananarivo

A delegation from Madagascar's government is in Paris on Friday to appeal to a group of donors for financial help to rebuild the island's battered economy.

The Malagasy delegation, led by prime minister Jacques Sylla, will present an action plan to the group.

The so-called Friends of Madagascar Group includes France, the European Union, the G-8 countries, as well as the UN Development Programme, the World Bank and the IMF.

Madagascar is hoping to attract millions of dollars to help rebuild the country after a political crisis which lasted almost seven months and led to the defeat of the long-standing president.

Malagasy people hope the new administration will bring real change

Optimism

The IMF, World Bank and UN Development Programme are now expected to restart a number of programmes postponed by the crisis, which resulted in an almost total collapse of the economy.

The new Malagasy minister of finance and budget, Rajaonarivony Narisoa, said the country was approaching the meeting with optimism.

"We have already designed a kind of programme, how to get out of the crisis, and up till now, I think the donor institutions have responded like positively," he said.

Prime minister Jacques Sylla has been in France for the last few days, meeting with the foreign minister, business leaders and investors.

France has already said it hopes to play a major role in the country's reconstruction.