Priorities

AP/CNN 'reports' below.

Failed to say if any one will be held responsible for the lady's trip to the hospital.

Sao Tome coup ends, president returns

Deal grants amnesty to coup leaders

Wednesday, July 23, 2003 Posted: 9:48 PM EDT (0148 GMT)

President Fradique de Menezes returns to Sao Tome Wednesday.

SAO TOME, Sao Tome and Principe (AP) -- The president of Sao Tome and Principe returned to this West African island nation Wednesday under a deal that grants amnesty to the military forces who ousted him in a bloodless coup last week.

President Fradique de Menezes hugged members of his Cabinet as he returned to his country accompanied by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, whose nation has an arrangement to share huge offshore oil reserves with Sao Tome.

The deal, negotiated between the coup leaders and international envoys, calls for the formation of a new government -- with Menezes remaining president.

It also includes guarantees that Menezes, who has fired four prime ministers and dissolved parliament once since his five-year term began in September 2001, will respect his nation's separation of powers.

The coup leader, Maj. Fernando Pereira, said the military could rebel again if the government violates the agreement.

"In a context where development is hampered by corruption, with directionless rulers and state institutions, the army can't be still because that goes against the destiny of our people," Pereira said after signing the agreement.

His troops seized power July 16, citing a continued social and economic decline in this oil-rich but very poor country in the Gulf of Guinea.

The United States, the United Nations, the 53-nation African Union and others demanded the government be restored in the former Portuguese colony. Some countries and the World Bank threatened the rebels with diplomatic isolation and cuts in aid.

Sao Tome and Principe is an impoverished nation of about 140,000 people in a region of growing international importance. The islands are in one of the continent's most active oil exploration areas.

The coup leaders detained seven government ministers at military installations before releasing them Sunday. All are at their homes under military guard.

Prime Minister Maria das Neves has been hospitalized under military surveillance since the coup after collapsing following her arrest. She is being treated for high blood pressure.

In the streets, people said they were pleased with the fast return of the government.

"I was surprised that it ended so quickly, I was expecting a more lengthy negotiation process," said Raul Espirito Santo, a 45-year-old unemployed worker. "The important thing is that a way for the political class to get along has been found and the parties realize how dangerous the social system is."

Africa | July 2003