Statement by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Speakes on the Death of President Ahmed Sekou Toure of Guinea

The United States regrets the untimely death of Sekou Toure of the Republic of Guinea in Cleveland on March 26. Sekou Toure was an internationally respected statesman whose efforts on behalf of peaceful settlement of disputes had earned for him and his country an enviable reputation for peacemaking. He exercised a unifying role within the Organization of African Unity and in African affairs generally.

The United States valued his wise and prudent counsel. We expect to continue the close and cooperative relations between our two countries.