China calls for dialogue in Guinea, opposes power grab

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – Calling for dialogue and the release of Guinea’s detained president, China on Monday said it does not condone any bid to grab power through force.

“China opposes any attempt to seize power via coup and calls for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde of Guinea,” Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said at a news conference in Beijing.

“We call on all parties to exercise restraint, bearing in mind the fundamental interests of Guinea, and resolving issues through dialogue and consultation,” he was quoted as saying by Chinese daily Global Times.

Guinea’s president, in power for more than a decade, was detained on Sunday by soldiers led by Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, who accused Conde of personalizing politics and not doing enough to improve the country’s economic and social conditions.

Vowing to restore democracy in the West African nation, Doumbouya said the National Committee for Rally and Development – the name the troops have given themselves – will suspend Guinea’s constitution and dissolve the government, while also closing all borders for a week.

“We will no longer entrust politics to one man. We will entrust it to the people,” Doumbouya said in an address on state television, claiming that the move was “in the best interests of the nation.”