Conakry, Guinea - Guinea's new military junta has fired 22 senior military officials as it moves to strengthen its position, reports said Monday.

The BBC reported that the coup leaders on Sunday issued a statement saying the generals had reached retirement age.

The statement added that the generals would be appointed to senior positions at a later date.

Junior military officer Captain Moussa Dadi Camara seized power on Tuesday hours after the death of President Lansana Conte.

The coup has been widely condemned internationally, although Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade on Friday urged foreign governments to back the new leaders.

Camara is Tuesday due to meet representatives from the United Nations, European Union, African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in an attempt to woo the international community.

Following the coup, Guinea's new president said he has no interest in holding on to power and would arrange "free, fair and transparent" elections for 2010.

Camara on Saturday also said that all mining contracts would be renegotiated and that that anybody found guilty of corruption would be punished.

International companies are heavily involved in mining in the West African nation, which has the world's largest reserves of bauxite, an ore used to make aluminium, and significant deposits of gold and diamonds. (dpa)