US senior diplomat visits North Africa

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman is on a visit to North Africa, the State Department announced in a statement on Monday. Sherman, the third highest ranking official in the State Department, is in Libya now and will go to Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria from Monday to Sunday, said the statement. During the visit, Sherman is expected to meet with government officials and civil society representatives to discuss a broad range of issues, the statement added. Recently, a number of senior U.S. diplomats have paid visits to the Arab world, including Secretary of State John Kerry who has visited the region four times since he took office. U.S. Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine has been in Qatar the past few days to attend the annual U.S.- Islamic World Forum.