Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was in France on Saturday where he was being treated for a "mini-stroke," medical and government officials told the state-run Algerian news agency. President Bouteflika's condition was characterized as "not serious," Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal told the Algerian Press Service (APS). The news agency reported the 76-year-old president was transferred to a Paris hospital for treatment. "There was no reason for worry," Rachid Bougherbal, the director of the National Center of Sports Medicine told the news agency. He said the president "needs rest before continuing examinations." Bouteflika was first elected president in 1999. He is considered central to the stability of the country. He has said he will step down at the end of his term next year.
