Algeria's Bouteflika shown in first images since stroke

Images of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika have been shown for the first time since he went to Paris to be treated for a mini-stroke in April.

Algerian TV broadcast footage of Mr Bouteflika's meeting with the prime minister and head of the armed forces a day earlier in the French capital.

He was seen in a black dressing gown, talking, drinking from a coffee cup, and eating a pastry.

Mr Bouteflika's absence has fuelled speculation about his condition.

'Detailed instructions'

In the footage broadcast on Wednesday, the 76-year-old leader was seen during a meeting at the National Residence of Invalids, a complex built for war veterans that includes a hospital.

Mr Bouteflika was taken there after being treated in Val de Grace military hospital.

He looked frail, talking and smiling occasionally and moving his right hand.

Algerian state media said he talked with Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal and Chief of Staff Ahmed Gaid Salah for two hours, covering the draft budget and other government business that needed to be approved by the cabinet.

Mr Bouteflika gave "detailed instructions" over the supply of goods ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which begins in July, APS news agency reported.

It also issued a health bulletin saying that the president had suffered a transient ischaemic attack on 27 April that had "not affected his vital functions".

It said doctors had "recommended that he observe a period of convalescence and functional rehabilitation to consolidate his recovery".

Mr Bouteflika has been in power since 1999. His latest health problems are widely seen to have ended his chances of running for another term in presidential elections next year.