SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES GUINEA DECISION ON CONSENSUS PRIME MINISTER,

CALLS FOR ENHANCED ECONOMIC COOPERATION TO CONSOLIDATE AGREEMENT

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General welcomes the decision by President Conté to appoint a consensus Prime Minister, in conformity with the agreement reached with labour leaders and civil society organizations on 27 January.  He commends the successful and constructive facilitation role played by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mediation mission headed by General Ibrahim Babangida, and calls on all Guineans to support the new Prime Minister and work together in building momentum towards lasting peace and prosperity in their country.  In this connection, he welcomes the undertaking by labour leaders to suspend the strike, following the appointment of the Prime Minister, Lansana Kouyaté, who is a former senior United Nations official.

The Secretary-General calls on the international community to enhance its economic cooperation with the new Government with a view to consolidating the consensus reached, which would allow the reform process and the country’s efforts on poverty alleviation and the promotion of development, good governance and respect for human rights and the rule of law to take hold.

The Secretary-General is closely following developments in Guinea through his Special Representative for West Africa, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah.  Mr. Ould-Abdallah was in Ouagadougou yesterday, where he met the Chairman of ECOWAS, President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso, as well as the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and General Babangida, the ECOWAS Special Representative for Guinea.  Mr. Ould-Abdallah will return to Conakry later this week.

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For information media • not an official record