International envoys praise 'openness' of Burkina junta

Burkina Faso's military junta said Monday it had restored the constitution a week after seizing power in the poor Sahel country, an announcement that came as it held talks with international negotiators who praised its "openness" to their proposals.

The discussions in the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou were "very frank", according to West African delegation leader Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, the foreign minister of Ghana.

"They seemed very open to the suggestions and proposals that we made. For us it's a good sign," she told reporters after the meeting with coup leader Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba and other junta members.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) delegates were joined in the talks by the UN's special representative for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mahamat Saleh Annadif, who also described a "very frank exchange".

The talks came shortly after the African Union suspended Burkina for the January 24 takeover.

ECOWAS had suspended Burkina Faso from its ranks on Friday and warned of possible sanctions pending the outcome of the talks with the junta.

Earlier Monday, in a statement read on television, the junta announced it had approved a "fundamental act" that "lifts the suspension of the constitution".

The junta -- officially named the Patriotic Movement for Preservation and Restoration (MPSR) -- said its move would "ensure the continuity of the state pending the establishment of transitional bodies".

The statement did not give a timeline for the transition period.

It formally identified Damiba as president of the MPSR and "supreme leader of the armed forces".

A separate decree said that the armed forces chief of staff, Gilbert Ouedraogo, was leaving the job.