Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, foreground, closely escorted by bodyguards,

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, foreground, closely escorted by bodyguards, waves as he walks through Ain Salah, a town part of the Tamanrasset wilaya, or region, southern Algeria, during the second and last day of his visit to this remote Sahara desert region, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2008, as part of inspections of the country's Special South Development Program. It is Bouteflika's first inspection visit since he narrowly escaped a Sept. 6, 2007 bomb attack in the eastern city of Batna that killed at least 22 people waiting to see him.
AP Photo by OUAHAB HEBBAT