On Monday, the curfew "was reduced" by a few hours, but the strike continued in a massive way across the whole country!

The blockade of information is also total (closing of the cybercafes, of independent radio stations – except for Radio Nostalgie which plays only music! newspapers; threats on the journalists including those working for international media, etc.) Since the introduction of the state of emergency and the curfew, in addition to dozens of deaths, hundreds of people (oppositionists, demonstrators, militant workers) have been arrested, maltreated, often tortured.

The former president of Nigeria, Babangida, arrived Saturday, in the name of CEDEAO (Economic Community of West Africa), in fact to give his support to the Conté regime, while having the gall to call for the revival of the social dialogue! Babangida declared that he did not want to see Guinea "falling into a chaotic situation" and "to be destabilized by an insurrection". The former General Babangida knows of what he speaks: From the 80’s into the 90’s in Nigeria he lead the military regime then in power, which followed a brutal policy of anti-working class repression. According to opponents of this regime, Babangida had erected: "a fortress of rot, of disorder, of trafficking and of bad governance". The corruption reached heights never before seen (and then it got worse still!)

Babangida declared in Conakry that when he was leader in Nigeria (when he was actually plundering it!), he maintained "special privileged relations with General President Conté": special privileged relations between gangsters! The petit-bourgeois democratic opposition – completely absent from the conflict – rejected the coarsely obvious trap which the Prime Minister held out to it: to be used as a fig leaf by the criminal dictatorship while taking part in a new government.

The trade-union leaders did not go to the second meeting with the military authorities, the employers and the representatives of the State on Saturday, because, according to their own statements, of the dissatisfaction caused among their members and the population by their participation in the first meeting. Hadja Rabiatou Diallo (president of trade union CNTG, and spokeswoman of the Intersyndicale) acknowledged miserably: "it is we who launched the strike. With this phase we have arrived at, it is the strike which leads us "!

The trade unions have demanded the lifting of the state of siege as a precondition to the resumption of meetings with the authorities: the chief of staff Kerfalla Camara answered that there was no question of lifting the state of siege as long as the strike continued.

Finally on Tuesday and Wednesday, there were 2 meetings for a "dialogue" between the trade unions and the authorities, although the so-called "precondition" required by the trade unions (lifting of the state of siege) was not carried out.

As proof of trade-union goodwill, the Secretary-general of the USTG, one of the two largest trade-union centrals, declared while arriving at the meeting today: "We came (...) so that together, we can contribute to lifting the state of siege, but also to make it so that we all move in the direction of appeasement".

The representatives of the government still want to make the trade unions recognize Camara, whose nomination as Prime Minister first detonated the explosive situation (while asking the trade unions to grant him a "probationary period “); and they want above all for them to call an end to the strike: the authorities have given the trade unions until Friday to finish off the strike. After the stick, a carrot: Camara has promised to give 3 ministerial posts to the trade unions.

No question of outright refusal! The trade-unions declared (declaration of a spokesperson of the USTG), that Camara the capitalist, minister for 10 years in various posts most recently Minister of the Economy and as such the person responsible for the disastrous situation of the masses, has been "honest" (sic!), but too close to the ruling power! The president of the CNTG, R.S. Diallo, added: "if we call off the watchword to strike, the base will not agree"! …

While trade-union chiefs and functionaries of the "Republican Institutions" discussed pleasantly, arrests continued throughout the country: in one week there have been more than 400 people arrested and held in the military camps under deplorable conditions. Whether Eugéne Camara is preserved or another takes his place (names of various politicians circulate), that will not change anything in the situation of Guinean proletarians...

The path of negotiation is the path of capitulation. The general strike in progress has sufficient force to defeat bourgeois repression, if it is directed and centralized towards the overthrow of the Conté regime and against capitalism. But, in the absence of an authentic class organization to lead it, to be able stand in opposition to all the manoeuvres, the strike is likely to exhaust itself sooner or later.

For Independent Proletarian Class Organization!

Long Live the Unlimited General Strike of the Guinean Proletarians!

No to political and military support of French imperialism for the Assassin Guinean Regime!

Long Live the International Anti-capitalist Struggle!

International Communist Party, 21/02/2007

Correspondence: Ed. Programme 3 rue Basse Combalot 69007 Lyon (France)