US Secretary of State Colin Powell on 2 December started a short visit to North Africa. After briefly stopping at a ministerial conference of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Maastricht, the Netherlands, Powell will travel to Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The aim of the visits, according to the US State Department, is to 'confer with leaders in these countries on such issues as the war on terror, the situation in Iraq, [US President Bush's] roadmap for Middle East peace, and promotion of political and economic reform through the President's Middle East Partnership Initiative, as well as bilateral issues'. It is thought that Powell will discuss the disputed Western Sahara region during his visit.