Butaflika in Parisian hospital due to stomach problem

The Algerian embassy in Paris announced on Sunday that the Algerian president Abdul Aziz Butaflika underwent medical checks in a French military hospital, one day after his arrival in Paris, as a result of stomach problems.

A spokeswoman for the Algerian embassy said that Butaflika ( 68 year old) was admitted to Val De Grace hospital in Paris where the French President Jack Chirac was admitted earlier in May for ordinary "medical tests."

The French foreign ministry stressed that Butaflika is in Paris to undergo medical checks. A spokesman for the ministry said that "France received President Butaflika for medical reasons."

A statement issued by the Algerian presidency explained that Butaflika headed for Paris on Saturday in order to make medical tests as a result of problems in the digestive system, noting that his health situation "is not worrying."