Protests spread in Arab nations

“The domino effect is an invention on the part of the media, including that of Algeria which is very free. I don’t think it applies to Algeria. Algeria is not Egypt or Tunisia,” he told the Spanish daily newspaper El Pais.

He dismissed anti-government protests on Saturday when riot police clashed with demonstrators trying to gather on a main plaza, May 1 Square, in the center of the capital, Algiers.

Last week, journalists estimated that 2,000 demonstrators succeeded in gathering in the plaza but said they were prevented from starting a planned three-mile march to Martyrs Square.

“Already, they were prevented from marching, but they gathered in May 1 Square. According to reliable police data, there were no more than 500 people, to which you can add a few transients. It was demonstrated that the conveners are a minority,” said Mr. Medelci.

With the region in turmoil, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff arrived for a weeklong visit to underscore support for key U.S. allies, a spokesman in Washington said Sunday.

Adm. Mike Mullen will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. He also will stop in Djibouti, where demonstrators inspired by revolts that toppled leaders in Egypt and Tunisia have clashed with riot police.

Adm. Mullen’s itinerary did not include Bahrain, a cornerstone of U.S. military power in the Gulf and the site of deadly clashes between anti-government demonstrators and security forces last week.

The United States regards Bahrain as a bulwark against the anti-American regime in Iran across the Gulf.

• From combined dispatches