Foreign Minister Ambassador Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr. heading a high level diplomatic and mediation delegation from the Mano River Union (MRU) along with the Secretary General of the Mano River Union, Medina Wesseh, and the Sierra Leonean delegate, on Sunday December 5, 2021 officially met with the Guinean Transitional President Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya.
Speaking to newsmen minutes after the closed-door meeting with Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, Minister Kemayah said the MRU mission to Guinea, which he headed, was fruitful, resounding and rewarding and was aimed at addressing the political crisis in that neighboring country.
Minister Kemayah said Col. Doumbouya welcomed their intervention to address the situation, but however called for more time from the international bodies, among others, to ensure that they complete the roadmap, which is on-going and nearing completion.
According to him, the current Guinean leader is willing and prepared to turn over power, but he said it should be done properly and through the democratic process.
Moreover, he indicated that the election process should eventually exclude all those who are currently part of the transition process.
The Liberian foreign Minister said the MRU’s involvement into the situation was not a favor to Guinea but an unconditional obligation to the government and people of Guinea, noting that Liberia is an immediate neighbor of the MRU and is happy to be in Guinea to lead such an effort.
Minister Kemayah further indicated that their involvement is part of their complementary support role to the efforts of the United Nations, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) the African Union (AU) and all other multilateral and bilateral partners of Guinea, in a move to have a win-win situation into the process.
He reflected that Guinea has played a key role in the attainment of the peace which Liberians are currently enjoying; as such, it is befitting for Liberia and other countries in the sub-region to reciprocate in the spirit of fraternity and solidarity.
“Liberia’s democratic process is well on course, including the historic democratic transition of power from one democratically elected President to the other in Liberia which, among other things, is attributed to the role Guinea has played in consolidating peace and security in Liberia,” he added.
Minister Kemayah, while commending member states of the MRU for their participation in the process, also pledged the commitment of the three countries (Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Liberia): no inch of their territorial area or country will be in any way used by any individual or group to cause insecurity within the Republic of Guinea.
“Nowhere in Sierra Leone, nowhere in Guinea and nowhere in Liberia will be used to cause problems for Guinea—you can rest assure of that,” Ambassador Kemayah emphasized.
He, at the same time, commended Guinea for the path leading to the transition process, adding that the MRU will work with Guinea on a roadmap of the process.
“Our respective Presidents are fully in support of this process, and we will work to ensure that this becomes a win-win for the region,” he emphasized.
Also speaking to reporters following the end of the meeting was Guinean Foreign Minister, Morissanda Kouyate, who expressed appreciation for the delegation’s intervention.
According to him, the role and intervention of the MRU into Guinea’s crisis signifies a clear fraternity and solidarity in the region, for which they are grateful.
He underscored that they are on a good path in regard to the transition process, and will do all they can, along with regional and bilateral partners, to help address the situation.
Among other things, the Sunday meeting was a continuation in the actualization of the vision of President George Weah for the peace initiative, which he said led to the hosting of the Mano River Union Diplomatic Peace, Security and Democracy Conference in Liberia on November 22—23, 2021.
As part of the conference, he told the media that a joint communique was signed, and embedded in it was the need for the MRU to feed in the joint mission comprising the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Chief of Defense Staffs of the three countries, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Meanwhile the peace mediation delegation to Conakry, Guinea was headed by the Foreign Minister of Liberia Ambassador Dee Maxwell Saah Kemayah Sr. Assistant Minister For Foreign Affairs, Adonie Z. Greaves, Atty, Naomi Gray, Assistant Minister for Afro -Asian Affairs, the Secretary General of the Mano River Union, Medina Wesseh, and Prince Vincent, Deputy Minister for operations of the Ministry of National Defense formed the members of the delegation.
The Sierra Leonean delegation included Hassan K. Conteh, Defense Minister of Sierra Leone, Brigadier General Abu B. Conteh, among others.
Earlier, the Liberian delegation arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Saturday afternoon, where they received a warm welcome and were subsequently joined by their counterparts for the meeting.