Guinea opposition leader released

Lansana Conte, a diabetic, has been unwell

An opposition leader in Guinea has been released after being held on suspicion of "insulting" President Lansana Conte.

Jean-Marie Dore had told French radio that Mr Conte, a diabetic, was too ill to contest elections on 21 December.

"They told me I could go home and that the case would take its course", said Mr Dore, who was detained on Thursday.

In 2001, Mr Conte - who seized power in the ex-French colony in 1984 - won a referendum to change the constitution so he could run for a third term.

Barely known

Security Minister Moussa Sampil has said Mr Dore will be prosecuted for "insulting the head of state" - a charge that could bring a prison sentence of up to five years.

Mr Dore is a member of parliament and leader of the small Union for Progress (UPG) in the West African state.

The UPG is part of an opposition alliance which is boycotting next month's poll, saying that it will not be free and fair.

The only challenger to Mr Conte is Mamadou Bhoye Barry, of the Union for National Progress party, who is barely known - even among Guineans.

The European Union is refusing to finance or send election observers because of doubts over the conduct of the poll.

The main opposition parties have warned of civil unrest and the danger of the country slipping into the kind of conflicts seen in neighbouring countries like Liberia and Ivory Coast.