Guinea Bissau junta and parties agree roadmapBy AFP | Sunday, May 20  2012 at  11:47

Guinea-Bissau's junta, parliament and a group of political parties have signed a roadmap aimed at ending the crisis created by the April 12 coup, officials told news agency AFP Saturday.

The five-page document was signed by interim parliament speaker Braima Sori Djalo, the junta's top leader and 25 parties, including the Social Renovation Party, which was the main opposition party before the coup.

Transitional president Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo attended the signing, an official said on condition of anonymity.

However, the ousted leadership of the former ruling African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde did not take part in the consultations, nor did six other opposition parties.

Local media said the roadmap includes the creation of a new polling body, whose chairman will have to be a career magistrate and will be tasked with revising the electoral law.

The roadmap also stipulates that a cabinet to be formed by the new prime minister, Rui Duarte Barros, should begin its work with a reform of the civil service and the security apparatus.

A regional peace force has started deploying in the tiny west African country in an attempt to help the transitional authorities stabilise it and organise elections in a year.