Washington sees a chance to steer Guinea back to civilian rule by "reaching out" to its defense minister Sekouba Konate while he stands in for the wounded junta leader, a US official said Wednesday.
US diplomats are testing the waters as Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, the junta chief in the west African country, receives medical treatment in Morocco after he was wounded in an assassination bid last week, the official said.
"We are reaching out to the defense minister who has been designated as leading the junta as a caretaker," a State Department official told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
The official said William Fitzgerald, the deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and diplomats at the US embassy in Conakry are involved in the overture to Konate.
"It is uncertain as to Camara's condition, as to whether he will be returning or when he will be returning, but in the meantime we are reaching out and attempting to communicate with Konate," the official said.
The United States wants to "ensure he understands our position that we believe that the best course of action is a prompt return to civilian rule in a transition government that will lead to democratic, constitutional, transparent elections," the official said.
"Whether or not he (Konate) will follow through on that remains to be seen," the official said. "We believe that there may be a possibility that progress can be made with him if Camara does not return."
Fitzgerald is "on his way to" a weekend meeting in Burkina Faso of the so-called Contact Group on Guinea, made up of countries with an interest in stability in Conakry, the State Department official said.
But Guinea's military rulers have decided to suspend their participation in the talks in Ouagadougou until Camara returns to work.
Camara's spokesman said Tuesday his condition had improved and he will return soon, after he was shot by an aide and operated on in Morocco for a head wound.
