Kerry Due in Algiers at Start of North Africa Tour

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was due in Algiers later Wednesday at the start of a North African tour expected to be dominated by the threat posed by al-Qaida.

Jihadist violence has plagued the vast Sahel-Sahara region since the 2011 overthrow of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, prompting a French-led military intervention in Algeria's southern neighbor Mali in January last year.

But Islamist militants have also struck in Niger, Tunisia and Algeria, where they overran a desert gas plant last year triggering a bloody four-day siege that left around 40 hostages dead.

"The question of the Sahel will be a central issue in the discussions," Algerian foreign ministry spokesman Abdelaziz Cherif Benali told state radio.

"Algeria is recognized by its American partners as a key country" in the region, and is trying to "coordinate its efforts with the United States to help restore stability and promote development in neighboring countries vulnerable to unrest," he added.

Algeria's independent press questioned the timing of Kerry's visit, which comes as campaigning is in full swing for an April 17 presidential election in which ailing incumbent Abdelaziz Bouteflika is controversially seeking a fourth term.

The El Watan newspaper voiced concern that Bouteflika's campaign team would portray the visit as a U.S. "endorsement" of the 77-year-old's re-election bid.

"It seems to be a diplomatic blunder, or perhaps a failure to appreciate the implications," the French-language daily said.

But the ministry spokesman rejected the criticism, saying Kerry's visit had nothing to do with the election but was part of a wider tour that would also take him on to Morocco.

The U.S. top diplomat had been due to visit both countries in November last year but postponed the tour to focus on the talks with Iran that led to an interim agreement on its controversial nuclear program.