[JURIST] Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika [Wikipedia profile] said Monday that the country will hold a referendum on September 29 on a draft charter for peace and national reconciliation for those involved in the instability and conflicts of the last 13 years. The proposal allows cases to be dropped against those who put down their arms and surrendered to authorities during Bouteflika's first "civil reconciliation" initiative in late 1999. Thousands of armed Islamists received amnesty [BBC report] during his first term under the plan. The partial amnesty would not apply to those who took part in massacres, terror attacks or rapes. AFP has more. The Algerian Press Service has local coverage.