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Guinea unions strike continues
25/01/2007 10:07 - (SA)
Alexandre Grosbois
Conakry - Unions in Guinea said on Wednesday that they would maintain their strike call, after embattled President Lansana Conte agreed to meet one of their key demands.
Louis Bemba Soumah, deputy secretary-general of the Syndicated Union of Workers of Guinea (USTG), which was behind the strike in which 44 people had been killed, said: "The strike is not suspended.
"And we will not suspend it until we have all that we have asked for. We need guarantees because there is a problem of trust."
He was speaking after unions said the ailing president had accepted in principle to appoint a consensus prime minister in response to one of the union's key demands.
The strike calling on Conte, in power for the past 23 years, to step down, had turned violent, with security forces killing 44 since January 10.
Conte 'must be removed'
The strike in protest at economic hardship and official corruption, called by the unions with the backing of 14 opposition parties, began on January 10, almost a month after Conte personally freed two jailed senior close aides who were facing trial for embezzlement.
Strike leaders later demanded that the 72-year-old president, who suffered from chronic diabetes and memory lapses, be constitutionally removed by the supreme court on the grounds that he was too unwell to stay in office.
They laid down as a condition to call off the strike, a new broad-based government of national unity to take over with a prime minister to fill a post left empty since April after Conte sacked for "serious mistake" Cellou Dalein Diallo.
Unions leader behind the strike that had paralysed Guinea resumed talks on Wednesday with top state officials after they broke down on Saturday.
National assembly speaker Aboubacar Sompare, parliamentarians, supreme court officials as well as senior clergymen also attended the parley.
Guinea 'leading exporter of bauxite'
Soumah added: "A commission was installed to prepare constitutional changes and to make it possible for the head of state to delegate his powers to the Prime Minister.
"We have proposed that it be a clean, new appointee, who will not be partisan, who will set up a government of technocrats to allow Guinea to finally move."
The talks were expected to resume on Thursday afternoon.
The strike was the third in less a year in the west African nation rated among some of the most impoverished despite its huge mineral resources.
Guinea was the world's leading exporter of bauxite, a base ore for aluminium. Copper, gold and diamond were also exploited.
The capital city and other towns were calm on Wednesday and fewer police and troops were deployed than on the bloodiest day of the strike, Monday, when 34 people were killed and more than 150 wounded in clashes with security forces.
Only two peaceful demonstrations were reported in the central town of Mamou Mali in the north.
- AFP
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