PARIS, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- France has warmly welcomed Guinean junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara's declaration that he will not return to Guinea, saying the decision paves the way for a democratic election that can bring peace to the African country.

    "With the commitments made in this declaration, Guinea has taken a decisive step in ending the crisis ... and on the path of the rule of law and justice," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Saturday in a statement.

    France also urged the Guinean interim government "to enable the Guinean people to elect freely" and promised to resume its cooperation with the ex-French colony to seek a smooth process towards election.

    Camara, recovering from injuries inflicted last month in an assassination attempt, signed the joint declaration in Burkina Faso on Friday with the interim junta chief General Sekouba Konateand Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, the mediator.

    The declaration proposed the establishment of a transitional commission led by a religious figure and consisting of 101 members from various walks of life.

    The declaration said presidential elections would be held within six months, barring all members of the junta, the transitional commission and anyone in military service from running.

    Camara, who had previously received treatment in a military hospital in Rabat, Morocco, after sustaining gunshots in the head by an aide-de-camp in early December 2009, arrived in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou on Tuesday night.

    The junta chief, under intense pressure, agreed to remain in temporary exile in Burkina Faso on Friday.

    A few weeks ago, Kouchner warned that, if Camara returned to Guinea after recovering, civil war would break out.