US Assistant Secretary of State visits Algeria

William Burns, US Assistant Secretary of State, arrived on Sunday in Algiers on the first leg of a regional tour that is to include Tunisia and Morocco.  

Burns is scheduled to hold meetings with Algerian President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika and officials on cooperation against terrorism and US support for Algerian reform programs, according to a US embassy statement, cited by the Kuwait News Agency.  

According to the statement, the talks are also expected to deal with US efforts to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and international efforts aimed at coercing Iraq to comply with relevant UN resolutions.  

Burns, the fourth United States official to visit the country since President George W. Bush took power, is expected to hold a news conference on his mission at the US embassy on Monday. (Albawaba.com)