The European Parliament,

–   having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.   having regard to the seizure of power by a group of officers on 23 December 2008, the day after the death of President Lansana Conté,

B.   whereas Lansana Conté, then an officer, had himself taken power by force in 1984 at the moment of the death of his predecessor, President Sékou Touré, remaining in power for 24 years,

C.   whereas there is no justification for the military assuming the role of government in any nation,

D.   whereas the term of office of the National Assembly expired two years ago and no parliamentary elections have been held since,

E.   whereas it is for the people of Guinea and their representatives to decide on the political, economic and social future of the country, and the two-year timetable proposed by the junta for elections is far too long,

F.   whereas the coup has been condemned by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and by the African Union (AU), both of which organisations have decided to suspend Guinea,

G.   whereas the main opposition parties and the trade union confederation which organised the strikes of June 2006 and January 2007 have taken note of the transfer of power, while the President of the National Assembly has called for the restoration of constitutional legality,

H.   whereas according to the World Bank one Guinean in two lives on the equivalent of one US dollar a day, and income per inhabitant has been constantly falling ever since independence, despite Guinea's significant hydraulic and mining resources,

I.   whereas Guinea is classified by Transparency International as one of the most corrupt countries in Africa,

J.   whereas the coup has occurred in a context of economic and social deterioration; whereas development offers the best chances of successfully achieving democracy,

K.   whereas demonstrations have been held repeatedly in several towns in Guinea in protest at the rising cost of living and shortages of basic foodstuffs,

L.   whereas the human rights record of the late President Lansana Conté is extremely alarming, including as it does the use of excessive force by the military and police against civilians, arbitrary arrest and detention without trial, and attacks on freedom of expression,

M.   whereas it is important to fully consider the proposals from political parties, trade unions and civil society organisations on how to move forward with a national dialogue in order to agree on a peaceful and democratic transition and a calendar for presidential and legislative elections,

N.   whereas the decisions and appointments, especially governmental, made by the junta are not in compliance with the rule of law,

O.   having regard to the nomination for the post of prime minister of Kabiné Komara, a former director of the African Import-Export Bank; whereas Mr Komara was on the list of potential prime ministerial candidates put forward by the trade unions at the time of the February events,

P.   having regard to the arbitrary arrests of military and civilian leaders;

1.  Condemns the seizure of power by a group of officers, and calls for the holding of free and transparent parliamentary and presidential elections complying with international norms, within the next few months and with AU and ECOWAS cooperation and EU support under the authority of a civilian transitional government;

2.  Calls for an inter-Guinean national dialogue with the participation of all political parties, trade unions and civil society organisations, to pave the way for a democratic transition;

3.  Calls on the junta to respect the right to freedom of opinion, expression and association, including the right to peaceful assembly, as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

4.  Condemns the arrests and detention without charge of military personnel and civilians, and calls for those arrested to be freed forthwith if no significant charges can be substantiated against them;

5.  Notes the political undertakings of the new Guinean leaders concerning, in particular, a concerted effort to tackle corruption and the introduction of a transparent and democratic system in Guinea; calls for these undertakings to be acted on;

6.  Welcomes the decisions by the AU and ECOWAS to suspend Guinea as long as it has no democratically elected parliament or government;

7.  Calls for the opening of a political dialogue between the EU and the transitional authorities now in power in Guinea, in the framework of Articles 8 and 96 of the Cotonou Agreement;

8.  Calls on the Commission to be prepared to freeze all aid other than humanitarian and food aid, and to consider targeted sanctions against the members of the authorities which have seized power should there not be a democratic transition;

9.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission, the UN Security Council, the Council and Commission, the institutions of the African Union, ECOWAS, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the Guinean authorities.