Senator John McCain

An American congressional delegation will be visiting Tunisia from the evening of February 22nd until following morning, according to the Hedi Ben Abbes, the deputy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of Americas and Asia. The delegation will be led by Senator John McCain (R-AZ) who will be accompanied by Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

The delegation will meet with Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, and Ben Abbes on the morning of February 23rd to discuss bilateral relations between the U.S. and Tunisia and express support for the Tunisian revolution.

McCain heads the Tunisian-American Enterprise Fund, and Ben Abbes explained that the delegation will also discuss how assets from the fund will be made available for use shortly. Ben Abbes also said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be explicitly requesting financial aid for improvements in security along Tunisia’s southern border in light of recent skirmishes between Tunisian military and border officials and armed groups operating in the region.

Ben Abbes made it clear, however, that none of the aid will be exclusively military. “The security aid we are asking for will be to defend the country’s southern frontiers. This includes adequate and appropriate equipment such as patrol cars, facilities, and radars to detect bombs,” he said.

The meeting is also expected to discuss the provision of financial aid to alleviate Tunisia’s budgetary stress and the enhancement of free trade agreements between the two countries.

The delegation met in Egypt yesterday with the country’s military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi. They are expected to depart for Morocco after their meeting in Tunisia.

The delegation’s visit precedes US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Tunisia by mere days – she will be meeting with President Marzouki and PM Jebali Saturday morning, February 25th.