ALGIERS, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Algiers John O'Rourk has been summoned by the Algerian Foreign Ministry, following the release of a video clip including critical remarks about Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, said the ministry on Sunday.
Last Thursday, Leyla Haddad, former correspondent of the Algerian state-run television ENTV in Belgium, called the Algerian president "an object in the hands of his brother and the barons of the regime," in a video shot at the headquarters of the EU parliament in Brussels.
Noureddine Ayadi, Secretary-General of Algerian Foreign Ministry, noted that "we hope that the EU publicly stands out of this maneuver and we ask for concrete action to be taken against the irresponsible actions of the offender."
The statement further recalls that "Algeria's ambassador in Brussels, based on instruction from the Foreign Ministry, has taken urgent procedures at the level of EU competent institutions."
The two ruling parties in Algeria, namely FLN and RND, have publicly asked Bouteflika to run for a fifth term, while the opposition called for his resignation.
Bouteflika has been suffering health problems since he had a stroke in 2013. Now he has become unable to walk or speak loudly.
