UN Secretary-General sends envoy to ease tension

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has sent a special envoy to West Africa to defuse tension over a claim by Guinea-Bissau's government that the government of its neighbour, The Gambia, was behind coup plots against it. The envoy, James Victor Gbehu, arrived on Monday in The Gambia and flew to Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday. President Kumba Yala had claimed during an 11 June meeting in the capital Bissau with local and foreign dignitaries that his security forces had foiled two coup attempts in December 2001 and May 2002. He threatened to "crush" The Gambia militarily if its government continued "fomenting subversion" against Guinea-Bissau. The Gambia's president, Yahya Jammeh, and its foreign minister, Babucarr Jagne, publicly denied any Gambian involvement in plots against Guinea-Bissau and demanded a retraction of the allegation which they described as "slanderous, baseless and evil-intentioned". However, there was no indication that Guinea-Bissau had retracted its claim. Gbehu met Jammeh on Monday, but neither gave details of their meeting. The envoy told journalists he had an obligation to report first to the UN Secretary-General on his meetings in Banjul and Bissau. However, he did say that "as far as The Gambia is concerned, there is no proof of its involvement in any scheme against the government of Guinea Bissau".