Bouteflika ‘instructs PM’ from hospital

ALGIERS: Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika gave detailed instructions on running the country during a two-hour meeting with his premier at a Paris hospital where he is convalescing after suffering a mini-stroke, media said yesterday.
The 76-year-old president “responded very well and his health seemed fine,” Abdelmalek Sellal was quoted as saying by the APS news agency. The president gave “detailed instructions” to the prime minister, notably on the supply of goods during Ramadan which begins in July and is a highly sensitive issue for Algerians, due to the sharp rise in prices over this period.
There has been intense speculation about Bouteflika’s health and his ability to lead the country after 14 years in power, after he was flown to France for treatment at the end of April. State television confirmed that the PM accompanied by the army chief had met the president in the first such visit since his hospitalization, but gave only limited information and provided no images.
“Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal and the Chief of Staff of the people’s national army Ahmed Gaid Salah paid a visit to the president at the Institution des Invalides in Paris,” the broadcaster said.