Algiers  - German Chancellor Angela Merkel used the occasion of her 54th birthday Thursday to express support for the women of Algeria in their fight for equal rights.

Speaking on the final day of her two-day visit to the country, Merkel met Algerian women working in science, the arts and the media,

Women in Muslim countries would follow their own course, Merkel, herself a scientist by training, said, but she stressed that family law and the protection of women's rights had to be developed.

Merkel is travelling at the head of a large German business delegation. (dpa)