(BRUSSELS) - The European Union denied Thursday that its new approach to immigration would target people trying to leave Africa and insisted that African nations were considered partners in the policy.

"It's not a pact against Africa, it's a pact with Africa," said French Immigration Minister Brice Hortefeux, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency until the end of the year.

"It is a pact that is balanced and coherent which promotes immigration that is selected and done in consultation, which means in partnership with countries where immigrants are coming from," he said.

The 27 EU nations agreed unanimously on July 7 on sweeping new guidelines for controlling immigration and want the details ironed out by October, but they have been criticised by African rights groups and Senegal.

The "European Pact on Immigration and Asylum" sets out principles for the EU to manage migration, fight illegal immigration and help development in poor countries that people are leaving or travelling through to get to Europe.

Two days after it was endorsed, Senegal -- from where large numbers of immigrants leave and send home money which is more important to the economy than development aid -- called for a pact of its own.

"Africa needs to come up with its own pact and maybe one day the two pacts can come together into one Euro-African migration pact," Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio said.

Hortefeux, who was chairing talks in Brussels between his EU counterparts, said that he would be meeting ambassadors from Africa and other non-EU nations in Paris on Monday.

"We have to take our pilgrim's walking stick and go and explain" what the pact is about, he told reporters.

African rights watchdog Raddho has slammed "the EU policies of criminalisation and locking up of migrants and asylum seekers" and spoke of its "intense worry" about the new guidelines.

"The establishment of a European pact on immigration and asylum will accentuate the vulnerability and the criminalisation of immigration and asylum rights," the Dakar-based group said.

It called on the African Union to protect its citizens and engage with the EU on immigration.

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