Talks on Algerian reforms to begin May 21

Bensalah will "launch consultations on political reforms regarding the deepening of the democratic process and the strengthening of the state", the president's office said in a statement quoted by news agency APS.
The talks follow "the desire expressed by the head of state to lead a consultation of the political and social forces on the reforms announced in his message to the nation on April 15 and detailed to the cabinet on Monday May 2," the statement said.
Bouteflika promised a number of reforms in last month's address, including a modification of the 1996 constitution and a revision of electoral law.
It comes amid Algerian discontent over wages, jobs, working conditions and housing.
Demonstrations have increasingly been staged in the wake of the popular uprisings that have rocked authoritarian regimes in the Arab world, including in neighbouring Tunisia and Libya.
Algeria's 1996 constitution was last amended in 2009 to allow Bouteflika, first elected in 1999, to seek a third term.
Proposals that follow the consultation will be submitted to parliament or a referendum, the president said last month.
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