Russia warned of any external interference or attempts to destabilise Algeria, Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, said in a joint press conference with Algeria's Deputy Prime Minister, Ramtane Lamamra. Lavrov added that Moscow supports the Algerian government's initiative to hold talks with the opposition after weeks of protests. Lamamra said that Algerian President Abdelaziz Boutefliaka is ready to hand over power to an elected president, and the opposition will be allowed to participate in overseeing the elections, adding that the government responded to the legitimate demands of the protesters. On Monday, 13 Algerian Syndicates refused to cooperate with the prime minister-designate Noureddin Badawi in order to form a new cabinet. Badawi stated last week that they strive to form a new cabinet, made up of youth, women, and technocrats, aiming to calm the protests from coercing Bouteflika to resign. "We will not hold discussions with this regime. We belong to the people and the people said ‘No' to the regime," said Boulem Amora, a leader of an education union, according to Reuters. And the heads of the syndicates announced their refusal to enter national discourse with Badawi, according to media reports. This comes after Bouteflika announced in a letter that he is extending his fourth term until a new constitution is adopted. Several Algerian cities witnessed mass demonstrations last week against the extension of Bouteflika's current fourth term, as protesters called for a million-man march.
