ALGIERS - The President of the Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Minister of National Defense, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, chaired on Tuesday a meeting devoted to the transport sector, the Presidency of the Republic said in a press release.

The meeting kicked off with "a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the recent tragic bus accident that revealed several shortcomings," said the press release.

It was also decided "to develop and present to the next Council of Ministers meeting new legislations relating to road traffic regulation, notably concerning driving license issuance procedures."

It was also decided to "hold road accident perpetrators civilly liable," to "subject drivers to periodic control" and to "reinforce control centers to detect possible consumption of drugs or psychotropic substances," added the same source.

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It was also decided during the meeting to "task National Gendarmerie and National Security forces with intensifying controls across the entire national territory to ensure the strict application of the highway code and fight road terrorism," said the press release.

The meeting took place in the presence of General Saïd Chanegriha, delegate minister to the Minister of National Defense, Chief of Staff of the People's National Army, the Chief of Staff at the Presidency of the Republic, Boualem Boualem, Ministers of Interior, Justice, Finance, Transport, Industry, Health and Public Works, the Advisor to the President of the Republic in charge of the General Direction of Communication, the same source said.

The meeting included also the Commander of the National Gendarmerie, the General Director of National Security, the Central Director of military industry at the Ministry of National Defense as well as the General Director of Civil Protection," the Presidency of the Republic said in a press release.