	soviet minister says  boost up to french soviet first deputy prime minister vsevolod murakhovsky said at the end of a brief visit here his country wanted to boost joint business with france but that a reduction of france s  deficit with the soviet union depended on the french murakhovsky who is also chairman of the state agro industrial committee gosagroprom told a news conference he had discussed a variety of possible deals with french companies rhone poulenc pechiney and imec declining to put figures on possible contracts he said he had discussed plant protection and the processing of highly sulphuric gas with rhone poulenc packaging technology for agricultural products with pechiney and fruit and vegetable juice processing with imec an official for pechiney said an agreement of intent on packaging could be signed soon but could not give any other details the other two companies were not immediately available for comment asked whether he foresaw a reduction this year of france s  shortfall at billion francs in the first months of against billion for the whole of murakhovsky told reuters it all depends on france at a meeting in paris last january french and soviet foreign  ministers said they were committed to increased efforts to reduce the deficit estimates at the time showed a french mln franc surplus for december murakhovsky said the soviet union was prepared to talk with anybody with interesting proposals offering latest technology and assuring a mutual advantage he said the soviet union had many tasks ahead of it and would deal rapidly with proposals it considered interesting he encouraged companies to take advantage of new laws guaranteeing the interests of foreign partners in joint ventures but he said no agreements had yet been finalised under the new joint venture laws he said concrete deals had not yet been finalised as a result of a one billion dollar accord signed in moscow last month with french businessman jean baptiste doumeng he said doumeng s interagra company was preparing proposals for further examination by the soviet union doumeng last month said the agreement was to exchange one billion dollars worth of goods murakhovsky said the agreement was one of intent and designed primarily to renew and increase the soviet union s food production capacity reuter 
