26 January General Affairs Council

FOREIGN ministers called on Algeria to be more constructive in cooperating with international efforts to end its civil strife. "Our willingness to help needs to be matched by willingness on the part of the Algerian government to accept our help," UK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook told journalists. Ministers acknowledged that last week's EU mission to Algiers had only been partially successful. "The Council [of Ministers] hoped that the Algerian government would be in a better position to engage in finding the solution to the terrorist problem," they said in a statement. "The Council calls for greater transparency on the part of the government of Algeria."