Guinea-Bissau PM recuses Guinean president as crisis mediator

Guinea-Bissau's Prime Minister Umaro Sissoco Embalo said Thursday he would ask the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) to choose another mediator to replace Guinean President Alpha Conde.

During an international symposium for reconciliation in Guinea-Bissau, Embalo said his country's intelligence services revealed that Conde telephoned the politicians in Guinea-Bissau so that they could block the presentation of his program of governance in parliament.

Embalo said he considered the mediation of Conde on the political crisis of Guinea-Bissau was playing a negative role.

This mediation was a result of the signing last October, under the supervision of Conde and the ECOWAS, of an agreement to end the crisis between political parties in Guinea-Bissau.

According to this agreement, a prime minister agreed by all parties was to be appointed by President Jose Mario Vaz and an inclusive government was to be formed.

But last November, Embalo was appointed Prime Minister by Vaz without the agreement of the PAIGC, the main party of the country that rejected this nomination and refused to participate in the government.

The political impasse in Guinea-Bissau, which has lasted more than a year, remains and the new prime minister has not yet presented his program of government to the National Assembly. Endit