European Troika delegation arrives in Algeria today

The European ministerial troika is holding talks in Algeria today with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika which are the first of its sort since the Algerian presidential elections in April.

A source in the European Commission in Cairo said the talks will focus on the current political, security and economic situation in Algeria, the effect of the internal situation on Algeria's relations with its neighbors and members of the Arab Maghreb Union, and the development of the Moroccan Sahara problem and the European partnership plan.

The delegation includes Finnish Foreign Minister Tarja Halonen, the current head of the European ministerial council; Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama; the European commissioner in charge of external relations, Britain's Chris Pattern; and the minister of external policy and common security (PESC) of the EU, Spain's Javier Solana.