Guinea-Bissau moves towards transition deal

The Guinea-Bissau army and opposition parties have agreed to set up a transitional body to run the country, ahead of talks Monday with West African bloc ECOWAS, which has denounced the recent coup.

The news came before shortly before coup leaders said on Sunday that it was closing all air and sea borders.

That move was prompted by former colonial power Portugal's announcement that it was sending two navy ships and a military plane for a possible evacuation of its nationals, which number between 4,000 and 5,000.

"Non-authorised Portuguese ships will not enter into our territorial waters. Guinea Bissau is a sovereign nation," said Fernando Vaz, spokesperson for the parties of the former opposition, following a meeting between them and the new coup leaders.

The "military command" said in a statement that it had decided to shut down all air and sea access, without saying how long the measures would remain in place.

On the political front, all existing institutions will be dissolved to make way for a National Transitional Council, Vaz said.

The size and composition of the council and the length of its mandate will be determined at a meeting on Monday between the political parties, which will then take their proposals to the junta, Fernando Vaz, a spokesman for the opposition parties, said on Sunday.

The junta set the terms of the new administration earlier this week and told opposition parties that it would keep the defence and interior ministries in any new government.

According to Vaz, all existing institutions will be dissolved to make way for a National Transitional Council.

Two committees have been set up to run the country in the period leading up to the creation of the transitional council: one would handle diplomatic affairs and the other social issues.

Source Aljazeera English