Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-01-15-Speech-4-216"
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"en.20090115.18.4-216"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the news of the death of Guinean President, Lansana Conté, which arrived on the morning of 23 November 2008, was followed several hours later by a military coup led by a junta which established a National Council for Democracy and Development and which declared the suspension of the constitution and the dissolution of government institutions.
The European Commission wholeheartedly supports the declaration of the EU Presidency condemning this violent takeover of power and calling on the authorities in Guinea to return to civilian, constitutional and democratic government as quickly as possible. The positive reception accorded to the military regime by the Guinean public, especially by political parties and trade unions, clearly shows that the standard of living for the Guinean people has deteriorated so much that even a military coup is viewed as a change for the better and as an event creating optimism for the future. It also shows that the former regime had lost the trust of the Guinean people to such an extent that they preferred the government to be taken over by military units rather than official successors.
In this confused situation, it is important to welcome the rapid and effective initiatives undertaken by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its chairman, Mr Chambas, as well as the determination and decisiveness of the Community and the African Union, which have suspended Guinea’s membership in their organisations and have condemned the violent takeover of power. The Commission is determined to support the efforts of ECOWAS and the African Union and to support their efforts to enable the quickest possible return to a civilian, constitutional and democratic government through free and transparent elections.
The challenge facing the international community in the following months is to support Guinea in its transition to democracy and in the arrangement of free and democratic elections for a law-making assembly and a president.
Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, in March 2004, following elections which did not respect democratic principles and which violated fundamental elements of the Cotonou Agreement, we decided to begin consultations between Guinea and the European Union under Article 96 of the Agreement. Progress was achieved in the following areas: general elections to follow in 2006, media liberalisation, election system changes to be carried out jointly by the government and the opposition and improvements to the macroeconomic framework.
We are not losing hope. We firmly believe that the election process which was started in October last year can be successfully resumed. Currently, a joint mission of the Presidency and the Commission is leaving for Guinea this Wednesday. The mission includes groups from ECOWAS and the African Union and its aim will be to assess the situation in the country and to propose appropriate measures for supporting Guinea in its transition to democracy."@en1
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