Rice discusses counter-terrorism during Tunisia visit

Tunis: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Tunisia's leader on Saturday to discuss North African counter-terror efforts.

Rice said she also raised the issue of political reform in talks with Tunisian President Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali.

"We talked about internal matters here in Tunisia, about the course of reforms," Rice told reporters.

"Tunisia is a good friend of the United States," said Rice. "It's a deep relationship, and we have broad cooperation across a range of issues."

"We have obviously discussed the circumstances in the region in terms of security and counter-terrorism," she said.

Security concerns focus on Algeria, although pro-Western Morocco and Tunisia have also been hit by attacks by Al Qaida-linked militants in recent years.