U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will visit Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in December to discuss the war on terror as well as regional conflicts and economic reforms, the U.S. State Department announced on Monday.
Anti-terrorism is a touchy subject in the Muslim North African states, where political terror poses a significant threat to internal stability. Some analysts accuse the governments of using the U.S.-led war on terrorism as an excuse for human rights abuses and anti-democratic actions.
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Senior U.S. diplomats rarely visit the region.
Prior to the announcement of Powell’s trip, Suzanne Hayden, a consultant for the U.S. Justice Ministry, called for American and Algerian co-operation in fighting terrorism during an official visit to Algiers on Sunday, according to the Algerian daily Le Matin.
Powell’s visit to North Africa will immediately precede the 5+5 conference in Tunis, which will unite the heads of state of five North African countries with those of Italy, Spain, France, Malta and Portugal.