Algerian president urges for preservation of national unity

ALGIERS, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Saturday called for the preservation of social cohesion and national unity of Algeria amid regional instability.

"It is crucial to keep close sight on current challenges amid the upsurge of risks and perils that hover over large areas of our borders," said the president in a message on the occasion of Lawyer National Day, read on his behalf by the Minister of Justice Tayeb Louh.

"These realities are additional factors that should encourage the sons of Algeria to preserve social cohesion and national unity, as well as ease tension and bias that are detrimental to the consensus that we vitally need," said Bouteflika.

He recalled that Algeria has managed to defeat terrorism and put up national reconciliation by "transforming the loss of balances and benchmarks into positive energy to serve security and stability."

Bouteflika concluded that the North African nation also "succeeded in laying the foundations for a new beginning to continue the process of development and progress."

Such a statement comes a week after Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Ahmed Gaid Salah, warned that "Algeria's sovereignty, security and stability is a red line that no one can cross." Enditem