GUINEA-BISSAU: Calm but tense, UN Secretary-General says

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GUINEA-BISSAU: Calm but tense, UN Secretary-General says

ABIDJAN, 21 June (IRIN) - The overall situation in Guinea-Bissau has remained calm over the past three months, but political tensions still run high, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in his latest report on the West African nation to the UN Security Council.

Pressing social and economic problems remain a major challenge for the government, Annan added in the report, dated 13 June. One such issue is the government's inability to pay civil servants their wages on time, which "has continued to generate social tension".

Amended constitution awaits promulgation

The fact that the constitution, revised some time ago, is yet to be promulgated, continues to fuel political tensions, Annan said. President Kumba Yala, who sent his comments on the constitution to the president of the National Assembly on 23 May, "appears to want the right to appoint the chiefs of staff of the armed forces and the Inspector General of the Army on the advice, instead of on the recommendation, of the Government", he added.

Yala also seems to want "the right to chair, at his discretion, the Council of Ministers; and the power to appoint ambassadors on the advice, not the recommendation, of the Government", the report said, adding that a parliamentary commission was considering the president's proposals.

Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony, became independent in 1974. A civil war from June 1998 to May 1999 resulted in the overthrow of President Joao Bernardo Vieira, caused thousands of deaths and displaced about 300,000 of the country's roughly 1.2 million people.

A military junta ruled the West African state, together with handpicked civilians, until presidential and parliamentary elections in late 1999 and early 2000. Yala won the presidential polls but his party failed to obtain a majority in parliament. Since then, the country has been wracked by crises, including a rebellion by members of the former military junta on 22 and 23 November 2000 - described by the government as a coup attempt - and another alleged attempt to overthrow Yala on 3 December 2001. There were also accussations of another attempt in May.

Complaints about detention conditions

Annan said the UN Peace-Building Support Office in Guinea-Bissau, UNOGBIS, had received a number of complaints from relatives of 38 persons held in connection with the December 2001 coup attempt. The complaints, he said, related mainly to the conditions under which they are being detained.

The trials of members of the former military junta who had been detained in connection with the November 2000 upheavals but were provisionally released began on 23 May, according to the report, which stated that UNOGBIS would observe the trials.

Encouraging dialogue among key actors

The UN Secretary-General also reported that, in order to promote peaceful debate among various institutions and key actors, UNOGBIS organized a national dialogue on human rights and democracy from 15 to 17 April in Bissau. More than 80 representatives of national institutions, including the armed forces, political parties and civil society attended.

The meeting resulted in the adoption of a declaration containing recommendations on political, human rights and democracy issues, including the need to ensure the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary.

Another UNOGBIS initiative aimed at promoting peace and democratization was a seminar on mechanisms of conflict prevention and resolution, held in Bissau on 21 and 22 May and attended by 68 participants, including parliamentarians.

Discussions focussed on national reconciliation and dialogue as the main means to manage differences. Recommendations included the creation by the National Assembly of a truth and reconciliation commission. The meeting also recommended the creation of conditions for institutions to function in accordance with democratic principles and values.

[The full report can be viewed at http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/reports/2002/662e.p]

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