"More time to lose": the Algerian army chief renews his call to the polls | New

The powerful Algerian army chief has ruled out the acceptance of preconditions for talks to end the political crisis in the country, saying that there was "no more time to loose".

Algerians have taken to the streets every Tuesday and Friday since February to demand a political change leading to the dismissal of former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika on April 2.

But efforts to head for new presidential elections have become bogged down, with protesters continuing to demand the departure of influential figures from the regime and a reshaping of the North African country's political system.

"There is no more time to lose," said Army Chief Ahmed Gaid Salah, during a speech delivered at a ceremony broadcast on television, describing what he called "preconditions that constitute diktats".

"The elections are the essential point around which the dialogue must be articulated, a dialogue that we welcome and hope to achieve, "said Gaid Salah.

A seven-member committee has been set up, tasked by interim President Abdelkader Bensalah, to discuss arrangements for the upcoming elections, following Bouteflika's resignation after two decades of power.

But the protest movement demanded that certain measures be taken before any dialogue, including the release of those arrested in connection with the demonstrations.

The protesters also want fewer police forces to be deployed at weekly protests and have called for the lifting of blockades set up at Algiers entrances every Friday to prevent rallies.

Bensalah had said that he was willing to "study" the claims.

But Gaid Salah, Tuesday, criticized "poisoned ideas … including the call for the expansion of the number of detainees who were wrongly selected for their opinions" and insisted on the independence of the judiciary.

The deployment of the police set up "for the security of the markets is a measure taken in the interest of the population", he added, stating that the gatherings should be properly organized "to prevent their infiltration" .

A presidential election already postponed, scheduled for July 4, was postponed after the only two potential candidates, both of them little known, were refused their candidacy.