German foreign minister to visit Algeria on Saturday

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is to make a three-day tour, starting Saturday, of Libya, Algeria and Tunisia, a spokesman in Berlin said on Friday dpa reported.

The three nations represent a spectrum of responses to the Arab Spring, which began in December 2010 in Tunisia and fairly quickly led to the ouster of president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and the installation 11 months later of democratically elected President Moncef Marzouki.

Libya experienced a long and bloody civil war that ended in the death of longtime leader Moamer Gaddafi.

Authoritarian-ruled Algeria has stood out in North Africa for being a place where the Arab Spring has failed to gain any traction.

Berlin aides said Westerwelle aims during his trip to encourage all three nations to pursue sustained democratic reforms. He will also promote trade with Germany and will intensify dialogue with “representatives of civil society.”

Westerwelle was to arrive in Algeria on Saturday, fly to Libya the next day and visit Tunisia on Monday. His schedule in Libya includes talks about a medical treatment programme in Germany for people maimed in the civil war.