US pledges support to Tunisian transition

During his meeting on Thursday with Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki , the US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns expressed his country's support for Tunisia's democratic transition, the official TAP press agency reported. The US official voiced his faith in the capacity of Tunisians in elaborating a constitution respectful of human rights and accepted by all parties, the communique said. The meeting also focused on ways of improving bilateral relations and further boosting economic cooperation. Regional and international issues and especially the situation in Syria and the consequences of the security crisis in Mali were also evoked during the meeting, TAP said. The US Deputy Secretary of State is in Tunisia to co-host with Tunisia's government the 9th ministerial forum on the future in replacement of the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who canceled visits to Tunisia, Morocco and the UAE due to health reasons.