Leaders of 5 West African Countries Meet to Discuss Situation in Guinea

 Yokohama, Japan - Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Friday initiated consultations on the uneasy situation evolving in neighboring Guinea. The meeting, held in the Japanese city of Yokohama, acknowledged the critical role of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in resolving an earlier situation involving the government, the military, trade unions and other civil society groups in Guinea. The leaders took account of this and agreed that the Chairman of ECOWAS, Burkinabe President Blaise Campaore, and the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, should lead further consultations with the aim of finding an amicable solution to the problem in Guinea.

Meanwhile, President Johnson Sirleaf, in her capacity as chair of the Mano River Union (MRU), has called on all parties to pursue the course of dialogue for peace and stability in the Mano River basin, which is now proudly emerging out of years of violent conflict. The Liberian leader emphasized that peace and stability are vital for economic growth and development.

According to an Executive Mansion dispatch, Friday’s consultation brought together the Chairman of ECOWAS, President Blaise Campaore of Burkina Faso; Immediate Past Chairman of the African Union, Ghanaian President John Kufuor; Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma; Nigerian Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan; and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Also in attendance was the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas.

The leaders have been attending the 4th Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which ended Friday in Yokohama, Japan.