German foreign minister to visit Algeria

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle will visit Algeria on Saturday. Westerwelle, who will meet with Algerian Prime Minister Abdel-Malek Salal and Foreign Minister Mourad Medelessy, will participate in a two-day visit aimed at tackling regional issues. Talks will cover security conditions on the North African coast as well as the Malian and Syrian crises, AFP has reported. Before visiting Algeria, the German official will also visit Israel on Friday to publicly back the US-led initiative to resume peace negotiations between the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority and Tel Aviv. Westerwelle is set to meet outgoing Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the trip.