ALGIERS - The U.S. list of risk countries including Algeria is expected to undergo "some changes", said Sunday in Algiers the deputy assistant secretary in charge of American affairs in the Middle East at the State Department, Janet Sanderson. 

  "It is a policy which is currently being reviewed and I think there will be some changes," Ms. Sanderson said in a statement carried by the official APS news agency after talks with the Minister of Maghreb and African Affairs Abdelkader Messahel.

 Algeria is expected to be removed from the lists of French and American countries at risk, said January 13 the Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci.

Messahel has in turn reaffirmed that Algeria "was surprised to be on this list of risk countries", announced January 3 by Washington after the assassination attempt against the Amsterdam-Detroit flight of Northwest Airlines on Christmas Day.

 Algeria has received assurances from the U.S. side, either at the interview (telephone) between the Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci and the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, or during his interview with Mrs. Sanderson, said Messahel

On January 13, Algeria considered "inappropriate" the decision of the United States to include a list of 14 countries whose nationals will be subject to specific checks at U.S. airports and asked to be removed from this list, had said Medelci.
    
Ennaharonline/ M. O.