Guinea welcomes appointment of former Beninese President Yayi Boni as ECOWAS mediator
Conakry, Guinea (PANA) - Political actors and civil society organisations in Guinea have welcomed Sunday's appointment of former Beninese President Thomas Yayi Boni as a mediator for Guinea in negotiations with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to agree an acceptable time table to return to constitutional rule.
ECOWAS heads of State who met in Accra named the former president to replace Ghanaian diplomat Mohamed ibn Chambas, who was not acceptable to the Guineans because of his alleged "connections" with the regime overthrown on 5 September.
The Guinean junta, which had rejected the idea of a mediator, because "Guinea is not in crisis", said it had taken note of the appointment of the former Beninese president.
The government spokesman, who is also Minister of Housing, Ousmane Gaoual Diallo, told journalists on Monday that it is the Guinean actors who must provide the solution through their will and responsibility to settle the issues in the country.
The Summit of Heads of State, which denounced "the long period of 36 months for the transition", gave Guinea up to the end of July to propose an acceptable timetable for elections.
For his part, the former Minister of National Reconciliation, Amadou Oury Bah, said that the appointment of former president Yayi is "proof of openness", adding that he knows, thanks to his experience, the problems he has encountered at home and in countries in difficulty.
He called on all actors to facilitate his task in order to ensure that the political process in Guinea is friendly among Guineans and then with ECOWAS.
For its part, pressure group, the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), said in a statement that it was available to work for the success of the dialogue announced under the good offices of Mr. Yayi.
"The national coordination of the FNDC welcomes the decisions taken by the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government concerning the political crisis prevailing in Guinea. It invites the junta and the government to seize this opportunity to join the dynamics of a diligent implementation of the previous and current recommendations of ECOWAS in order to find a consensus with the living forces of the nation on the conduct of the transition," the statement said.
He also thanked Dr. ibn Chambas for "the wisdom and sense of responsibility" he showed in stepping down to promote better understanding between the sub-regional organisation and the transition authorities in Guinea.
-0- PANA AC/JSG/SOC/MTA/MA 5July2022
