Algeria, U.S. discuss counter-terrorism cooperation in Sahel

The Algerian capital on Sunday held the 3rd Algeria-U.S. meeting on security, as instability hitting the Sahel region, including Libya and Mali, was in the agenda of the discussions.

The meeting was co-chaired by Algerian Minister for Maghreb Affairs, the African Union and the Arab League, Abdelkader Messahel, and the Coordinator for Counter-terrorism at the U.S. Department of State, Justin Siberell.

"Algeria plays a leading role in the region and has always worked for stability," Siberell told reporters after the meeting.

The U.S. official hailed Algeria's "leadership" in counter-terrorism, recalling that this North Africa nation is a founding member of the Global Counter-terrorism Forum (GCTF).

The meeting was "very interesting and fruitful" as members of the two delegations discussed several issues, particularly the recent developments in the region and the "strong" cooperation between the both countries in security and the fight against terrorism.

"We are seeking to further strengthen this very strong partnership in the future, through seizing every opportunity like we did today through very interesting discussions," Siberell said.

For his part, Abdelkader Messahel said "We have shared analysis and have had extensive discussion about our experiences in the fight against terrorism."

"We have also exchanged views on international strategy against terrorism which is a global threat and requires a global response," he said.

Messahel said the unstable security situation in Mali and Libya was on the agenda of this meeting, as he urged to restore peace in these two neighboring nations.

The peace process underway in Libya must be completed and it is necessary to enable the national unity government to play its role.

As for Mali, Messahel called upon Malians to make further efforts to fulfill and make their underway peace process a success. Endit