UN Security Council urges dialogue

The UN Security Council has added its voice to calls for national reconciliation in Guinea-Bissau. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Council said it "encouraged President Kumba Yala of Guinea-Bissau in his pursuit of the policy of national reconciliation and dialogue taking into account the established constitutional norms".

It said Security Council members also encouraged regional and international leaders "to continue playing an active role and redouble their initiatives of good offices for economic and financial assistance". They also "expressed continued support to the team of UNOGBIS (UN Peace-Building Support Office in Guinea-Bissau) for their tireless efforts to help keep the peace-building process in Guinea-Bissau on course, despite multiple challenges.

The statement came in response to the Secretary-General Kofi Annan's latest report on Guinea-Bissau
[Full report at http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/reports/2001/1211e.pdf] in which he said the political situation in the West African country had "remained difficult and volatile" during September -December 2001. The report was dated 14 December, 11 days after the Bissau-Guinean government announced that it had foiled an aborted coup.

Annan had appealed to local political actors "to continue to resolve their differences through dialogue and within the framework of the constitution". He had also called on the international community to "remain engaged with and supportive of Guinea-Bissau" and to contribute generously to a roundtable conference to be held in early 2002 to help raise resources for the country.

His noted that the political process in Guinea-Bissau continued to be marked by multiple crises among various institutions between September and December. The opposition had called repeatedly for President Kumba Yala's resignation. Yala had dismissed the foreign minister and prime minister on 21 November and 3 December respectively. The opposition had also called for the arrest and detention of the president of the Supreme Court on corruption allegations to be rescinded, describing them as politically motivated.

Yala came to power in early 2000 after winning elections that ended a brief period of military-civilian rule following the ouster in mid-1999 of President Nino Vieira by a self-styled Military Junta. Tension between the military and Yala's government came to a head in November 2000, when former Junta leader General Ansumane Mane staged an aborted attempt to regain control over the armed forces. Mane was killed on 30 November 2000 by loyalist forces.