USA supports improved relations between Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia
Regional-Algeria-USA, Politics, 9/8/1999

US Undersecretary of State for the Middle East Martin Indyk, said in Algiers Tuesday the United States of America supports improved relations between Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and backs, through the Eizenstat initiative, regional economic development.

In a press conference following his visit in Algeria, the US official called Algeria, which is chairing the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), to contribute to a stability and a larger integration of North Africa.

The UMA, set up in 1989, gathers Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

After he recalled a recent meeting held in Washington with the Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian trade ministers to promote trade and investments between the three countries and the USA, as part of the Eizenstat initiative, he stressed that an agreement on investments is being prepared and that the Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian chambers of commerce will meet next month in Tunis to see how the Eizenstat initiative can be extended to the private sector.

Indyk also announced ongoing contacts with the US congress to find the needed funds to support these efforts and that trade ministers of the three North African countries will go "very shortly" to Washington.

The Eizenstat initiative, named after Stuart Eizenstat, a former US under-secretary for economic affairs who launched the idea during his visit in July 98 to the region, aims to forge economic cooperation ties between the USA and the three countries, help the recipient countries' set up the appropriate business climate, improve trade regulations, administrative procedures and enhance the privatization process.

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