Algiers ready to discuss US-North Africa partnership initiative

Algeria expressed readiness to take part in the discussions on the American initiative to launch economic partnership between the USA and Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia.

Algeria is ready to take part "with interest in the preliminary discussions on the American proposal to set partnership with the Maghreb," the Algerian government said in a release made public Wednesday following a government council meeting.

The American initiative was launched by U.S. Under-Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, Stuart Eizenstat, who toured the region last June.

The initiative revolves around establishing a permanent dialogue at the highest level between the USA and the Maghreban states, encouraging these states to lift barriers to ensure a better flow of trade exchanges and materializing inter-Maghreban complementarity leading to better political relations.

Algerian foreign minister Ahmed Attaf said in a report before the government council that Algeria conceives integration in the world economy as a global perspective with genuine partnership as a reference.

Last October, U.S. assistant under-secretary of state for the Near East and North Africa, Ronald E. Neumann, visited Morocco and Algeria to renew the initiative, which he described as having "no political dimension."

The initiative aims to encourage the three Maghreban states to harmonize their custom systems in such a way to increase bilateral trade exchanges and hence, publicize their potentials to U.S. investors.

In a bid to materialize the initiative, Washington will host a ministerial meeting at the end of the year and a regional conference on investment will be convened by the U.S. administration early next year.