Fadul pledges to work for entire country

Guinea Bissau’s newly-installed prime minister, Francisco Fadul, has pledged to to serve all nationals irrespective of party affiliations. “The fact that I belonged to the junta does not prevent me from being reasonable and balanced,” he told the Pan African News Agency (PANA) shortly after his inauguration on Saturday. “I will remain neutral.” Fadul, who backed the Military Junta of General Ansumane Mane in an eight-month effort to unseat President Joao Bernardo Vieira, said he would be unable to call legislative and presidential elections as planned at the end March, under a subregional brokered peace accord. “We can only hold legislative and presidential elections after having reorganised the army and police forces, brought back refugees and stabilised the population,” he said. Fadul’s inauguration effectively ended the army rebellion of 7 June 1998, a day after Vieira fired Mane on allegations of arming Senegalese separatists. Mane, citing a parliamentary report, said Vieira was responsible for supporting the Senegalese rebels.