Butaflika for Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, Syria

Algerian President Abdul Aziz Butaflika who yesterday started an official visit to Austria called for Israel's withdrawal from the occupied Syrian and Lebanese territories "in order to establish complete peace in the region."

Butaflika called a dinner banquet held in his honor at the former Emperor's palace in Vienna that peace in this region requires "taking into account the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people." He considered that "the roadmap" constitutes the frame for a peace agreement "despite not being the best option."

The Algerian President, on the other hand, called for the need that that the UN "play a pivotal role " in rebuilding the institutions, the economy and the social structures in Iraq. Butaflika is making the first state visit for an Algerian President to Austria since Algeria's independence in 1962.