27/07/2008
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika called the process of privatisation adopted by the government a "mistake" on Saturday (July 26th), lashing out at foreign investors and accusing them of plundering the country's riches, local press reported. Speaking during an Algiers meeting with heads of communal councils, he vowed to change the rules governing private industry and foreign investment in the country. The Algerian president also criticised private enterprises, accusing them of investing in "easy" sectors, such as "the production of lemonade or semolina".