Guinea's president appoints new PM

Guinea's ruler appointed a new prime minister, state-run radio said Friday, in a move apparently aimed at appeasing union leaders who led a crippling two-week strike.

But union leaders did not immediately welcome the appointment of Eugene Camara, one of President Lansana Conte's cabinet members, saying the ailing president had failed to consult with them as required under the accord reached last month to end the protest.

The strike spiraled into violent street protests with rock-hurling demonstrators clashing with security forces, leaving at least 59 dead and bringing the country to an economic standstill.

Union leaders, who had initially called for Conte's resignation, agreed instead to suspend the strike after the iron-fisted ruler said he would name a prime minister with increased powers.

"We have no reaction whatsoever because the unions were not consulted on this nomination," said Ibrahima Fofana, the secretary-general of one of the country's two main unions which launched the nationwide strike Jan. 10.

But under the agreement signed by the two sides, the new prime minister cannot have previously served in the government. Camara was appointed the government's minister for presidential affairs last month, a position that may disqualify him in the eyes of union leaders.

Conte, who is rumored to be suffering from a heart condition, has exercised complete control over the country since grabbing power in a 1984 coup. Union leaders have argued that he is no longer fit to run the country. Camara's appointment marks the first time the West African nation has had a premier since April 2006, when Conte fired Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo.

Although Guinea's population of 10 million is impoverished, the West African nation is home to half the world's reserves of bauxite, a material used to produce aluminum.