Guinea Assembly Chief Urges World To Stop Coup

Speaking by telephone, he said the coup plotters were searching for him, but that he was in `a safe place`.

Guinea's national assembly president appealed to the international community on Wednesday to prevent an attempted military coup from succeeding in the West African bauxite exporter.

"The international community must mobilise to prevent the military from interrupting the democratic process as laid down by the constitution," Aboubacar Sompare told Reuters.

Speaking by telephone, he said the coup-plotters were searching for him, but that he was in "a safe place".

Following the death of long-serving President Lansana Conte on Monday, Sompare should, under the constitution, take over as interim head of state to organise elections to choose a new president within two months.

But a group of officers and soldiers calling themselves the National Council for Democracy and Development announced on Tuesday the suspension of the constitution and the government in a coup attempt which split the armed forces.

"The situation hasn't been resolved yet. Loyalists and coup-mongers have met in the (main military) camp but they haven't been able to reach an agreement," Sompare said.