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Algeria's Bouteflika urges to preserve national unity

Xinhua, September 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Monday urged to preserve national reconciliation from any distortion and political manipulation, as the country marks the 10th anniversary of ending a fierce civil war, official APS news agency reported.

In a speech to the nation, the ailing president stressed that he will continue deepening democracy and building a stronger country free from oil economy.

He further noted that the national reconciliation, which he proposed when he first came to power in 1999 and was endorsed by the people in a popular referendum in 2005, enabled Algeria to regain three major achievements -- peace, security and national reconstruction.

In 1992, the army canceled the electoral process that the Islamic Salvation Front was poised to win. The North African nation then went through a decade of civil war between security forces and Islamist insurgents that left more than 150,000 people dead, according to official figures.

Once in power in 1999, President Bouteflika launched a national reconciliation program that largely contributed to restoring peace in the country, as terrorists were offered amnesty and fair trials in exchange of laying down their arms. Endit