Algeria's president Abdelaziz Bouteflika has said that 19-year state of emergency would be lifted in the "very near future". He also added Algerian television and radio controlled by the state, should give airtime to all political parties. He added that demonstrations, banned under the law of emergency, would be permitted across the country except in the capital. The repeal of emergency powers is the main demand of opposition groups in Algeria ahead of a protest planned for February 12. Aljazeera.net.