German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier continued his tour of North Africa with talks on Friday with top Tunisian officials, after initial meetings on Thursday focused on social, political and economic reform issues, "DPA" news agency reported. Tunisia is the third stop on Steinmeier's five-nation tour which previously included Libya and Algeria. Later Friday, he travels to Morocco and then will wind up his tour in Mauritania on Saturday. Besides covering Germany's bilateral ties with the region, the tour is also part of Berlin's diplomatic preparations in assuming the six-month presidency of the European Union starting January 1, 2007. During his tour, Steinmeier has been stressing the importance of the North Africa region for the EU. In particular, such states as Libya and Algeria are major energy suppliers to Europe. At the same time, the EU is seeking greater cooperation with the region in the problem area of illegal migration of Africans towards Europe via the northern African countries.
