Syria’s Foreign Minister and Vice Premier, Mr. Abdel-Halim Khaddam, arrived in Algeria on Tuesday (16 September) for a one-day visit. Mr. Khaddam left Damascus on the 10th September on a tour of Arab countries, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and North and South Yemen, to deliver messages from Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad.
Mr. Khaddam flew to Algiers from Tunisia. He was greeted at Houari Boumedienne Airport by the Minister at the Presidency, Mr. Ahmed Taleb, as well as other officials from the Algerian government and the Syrian embassy.
It’s believed the purpose of Mr. Khaddam’s visit was to discuss the merger between Syria and Libya, which was officially proclaimed last week. The two countries have declared they will become one state, and have pledged to achieve full political, economic and military unity. Other Arab countries have been invited to joint the union if they wish. According to local officials one of Mr. Khaddam’s missions will be to explain the motives behind the merger which is seen as a means of confronting Israel, and working towards the liberation of Palestine. Both Libya and Syria have declared their opposition to the U.S. sponsored peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.
