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Resolution of support from the US-based Guineans Associations to the general and
indefinite strike in Guinea
The Executive Office and the General Council of the Association of Guineans in
the Greater Washington, DC and surrounding areas held an extraordinary meeting
on January 14, 2007 from 2 to 6 pm local time at Langley Park, Maryland.
During the meeting the two executive bodies of the Association reviewed the ongoing
events in the Republic of Guinea. Among other things, they:
- discussed the claims formulated by the Unions leaders
- examined carefully the
official document for the solution of the crisis submitted to the First
Lady by religious clerics and representatives from civil society organisations
- took
notice of the different declarations made by the political parties
- took into account
the extreme suffering of the populations
- noted the incapacity of the government
to manage the crisis situation, resulting from its bad governance
- acknowledged
the Head of State's ill-health, which has rendered incapable to carry on with
his fonctions of President of the Republic.
In closing their meeting, and upon consultation with other guinean associations
throughout the United States, the two executive bodies of the Association of Guineans
in the Greater Washington, DC and surrounding areas:
- Recognize the legitimacy of the claims of the Unions, the political parties
and civil society
- Proclaim their support to the Unions and to all Guinean workers
in their struggle for the improvement of workers' living conditions, and by extension
the wellbeing of the guinean population as a whole.
- Salute the combativeness,
the determination, the commitment, the maturity and the sens of responsibility
demonstrated by the movement.
- Encourage the noble and mature approach of religious leaders
and civil society representatives, aimed at bringing about a peaceful change
of regime in the Republic of Guinea, through the appointment of a government
of national union and transition
- Invite the leaders of the Unions, the political
parties, civil society organizations, and of all religious faiths to unite
their efforts in order to achieve the change so much hoped for by the oppressed
populations of Guinea
- Suggest the installation of a crisis management body whose
main objective will be to convene in the shortest period the “National
Convention for a peaceful transition in Guinea”. Such an Assembly should
include all present parties: religious leaders, Unions representatives,
representatives from all civil society organizations, political parties representatives.
The crisis management body should establish contacts and brief the diplomatic
missions accredited in Guinea
- Denonce in the strongest terms the repression launched
by the government to break up the movement: police violence, abusive detention,
use of firearms by the security forces, resulting in numerous victims and several
arrests, as of January 15, 2007
- Solemnly call the attention of the international
communauty on the irresponsible behavior of President
Lansana Conté and
his government, who always resort to violence in their approach to the vital
problems of the nation.
Washington, DC
January 16, 2007
The Guinean Associations in the USA
