ALGERIAN President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, accompanied by a ministerial and business delegation, will arrive in Cape Town on Tuesday morning on a four-day state visit to South Africa. During his visit, Bouteflika will co-chair the second session of the South Africa-Algeria Bi-National Commission (BNC) with President Thabo Mbeki in Pretoria. The visit is intended to strengthen bilateral relations and increase co-operation over a wide range of issues, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Several bilateral agreements have been signed regarding co-operation in the fields of trade, science and technology, merchant shipping and bilateral air services, animal health, mining, and energy and communications technology. ”Algeria is one of the most important political actors in Africa and the world’s 10th largest nation,” the department said. Since diplomatic relations with Algeria were established in 1994, bilateral trade has increased substantially. Algeria is ranked as the 45th biggest export market for South Africa, and its largest trading partner in the north African region. Total trade for 1999 stood at over R275-million. – Sapa