Clinton to Visit Algeria, Saharawi Congress Underway

Photo Credit: AP

Following a call by Mauritania and Algeria for dialogue, the State Department confirmed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Algeria next week to address concerns over the crisis in Mali. In Washington, the Senate Intelligence Committee announced it will hold hearings in November on the security and intelligence issues raised by the September attacks in Libya. On Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said U.S. military leaders U.S. military leaders did not have adequate intelligence information about the situation on the ground to deploy U.S. military forces to intervene.

In neighboring Morocco, King Mohammed VI returned home after an eight-day Gulf tour, where he visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan, to discuss economic cooperation and development. Also, despite foreign delegations pledging support for the right of the Saharawi people, the trials of 24 Saharawi political prisoners were postponed indefinitely, as the Seventh Congress of the Saharawi Workers Union (UGTSARIO) got underway.