Guinea prime minister surrenders to junta

By ABOU BAKR and RUKMINI CALLIMACHI, Associated Press Writers Abou Bakr And Rukmini Callimachi, Associated Press Writers
* Thousands greet Guinea coup chief

* Military-led group announces coup in Guinea
* Coup leaders warn off mercenaries

Guinea coup leader Moussa Camara reads a statement in this image made from AP –
CONAKRY, Guinea – Guinea's prime minister and about 30 other government leaders turned themselves in at an army barracks Thursday after the leader of a military coup ordered them to show up within 24 hours, a private radio station reported.

Ahmed Tidiane Souare's mother told The Associated Press that he was no longer prime minister of the West African country. Aissatou Souare said in a telephone interview that her son and the other ministers decided to go to the barracks to avoid being hunted down.

Private radio station Liberte FM carried a live broadcast of Souare telling coup leader Moussa Camara: "We are at your disposal." The radio station reported that Camara said the government leaders were then free to leave.

Souare had not been seen in public since Camara's group of junior officers declared a coup Tuesday. He maintained in a telephone interview from an undisclosed location Wednesday that he remained in control of Guinea.

Souare served under longtime dictator Lansana Conte, whose death Monday after nearly a quarter-century in power threw the West African country into turmoil. Camara has declared himself Guinea's interim leader and says a presidential election will be held in two years.

In a radio broadcast Thursday, Camara also promised a "grandiose funeral" on Friday for Conte. He died Monday night but there had been no funeral despite Muslim custom calling for burial of the dead within 24 hours.

Conte's body was to be brought to a stadium in the capital, Conakry, on Friday morning and to the Grand Mosque for viewing before interment. Camara's group, which calls itself the National Council for Democracy and Development, also said it would ensure the security of visiting foreign heads of state and dignitaries.

Under Guinea's constitution, parliament leader Aboubacar Sompare was next in line to be president. But some in Conakry showing support for the coup leader said they were ready for a change.

"Sompare is a continuation of Lansana Conte," said 49-year-old Cozy Haba. "I recognize that what we are doing instead is jumping into the unknown. But to me that's better than Sompare — whom unfortunately I know too well."

But in northern Guinea, about 500 miles (800 kilometers) from the capital, others expressed concerns about Camara's group, which initially said it would hold elections within 60 days. It now says a presidential vote will take place in two years.

"We are all worried. Although I'm a little bit happy, I'm mostly anxious," said Yahya Sako, a radio and TV repairman in the town of Siguiri, located in an area of many gold mines. "Are these military people going to continue to hold on to power?"

Until Conte's death Monday night, Guinea had been ruled by only two people since its 1958 independence from France. Conte first took power in a 1984 military coup after his predecessor's death, embarking on more than two decades of stern-handed, dictatorial rule.

He won presidential elections in 1993, 1998 and 2003, but the ballots were marred by accusations of fraud. In 2003, Conte secured 95 percent of the vote — an improbably high tally for a man many say was deeply unpopular.

In a broadcast Thursday, Camara said "it is not my intention to be a candidate in the election of December 2010. Because one should never have the ambition to become something which one is not."

Guinea is the world's largest producer of bauxite, used to produce aluminum, and has gold, diamond and iron ore deposits. The nation, located at the confluence of several West African rivers, could generate enough electricity to power the region, some analysts say.

But Guinea's economy has rapidly deteriorated and its 10 million people are among the world's poorest. A food exporter at independence from France, Guinea started importing food as it became crippled by corruption, inflation and high unemployment.

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Associated Press writer Maseco Conde contributed to this report from Conakry. Callimachi contributed from Siguiri, Guinea.