country is stabilizing and the SA loan should be approved in the new year - things to look fwd to !
Our Generation Aims For Peace, Says Kumba Yala
Panafrican News Agency
December 26, 2000
Jules S. Guèye
Bissau
From now on, Guinea-Bissau wants to live in peace, both among its nationals and with its neighbours, and in the respect of democratic principles, according to President Kumba Yala.
"We are a new generation aiming for peace, democracy and relations of good neighbourliness with Senegal and Guinea-Conakry," he told PANA in an exclusive interview.
Despite the pain involved, the events that occurred in November, which led to the death of Gen. Ansoumane Mané, ex-head of the military junta, helped to clarify the situation at the top of the Bissau-Guinean state.
Up to now, President Yala, elected in November 1999, could not really exercise his mandate because of the doings of the military junta.
In perfect violation of agreements signed under ECOWAS auspices, the junta had continued to function like a parallel authority with the advantage to do what it wanted with the armed forces.
Thus, without blatantly rejoicing, the elimination of Mané, considered as "someone who prevented the government from governing in peace", seems like a relief to the civilian government.
"We regret this death a lot," Yala conceded. "Henceforth, the soldiers are going to return to their constitutional role, without attempting to interfere in government affairs, to enable us to establish democracy in peace and in the respect of the various institutions."
The president now intends to work towards the reconciliation of all Bissau-Guineans.
"The priority to us is the reconciliation of all Guineans. We are a new generation of politicians and we do not want to inherit the contradictions existing earlier on between generations of liberation war veterans," he pointed out.
"Our generation aims for peace, and to live in a pluralist democracy, which will enable us to engage in peaceful competition, since it is the only way to progress," he added.
According to him, "with the last events, everyone should understand that violence leads us no where. We are henceforth going to reject all the scenario of violence and concern ourselves with the development of the country."
Yala brushed aside the accusations that he favoured his ethnic group (the Balante) in his appointments within the army and the civil service, saying that his political opponents are "ignorant."
He, moreover, said he was very concerned about his relations with neighbouring countries.
"We would like to have relations of good neighbourliness with our Senegalese and Guinean (Conakry) brothers, by forgetting the misunderstanding created by the 7 June war. As ECOWAS member States, we are condemned to live together as brothers. For us the borders are artificial, they do not exist," he stressed.
Because of this determination to develop relations of good neighbourliness, particularly with Senegal, he added that Guinea Bissau was going to distance itself from those fighting for the independence of Casamance, the southern Senegalese region.
Yala indeed admitted that the involvement of the then Bissau-Guinean authorities in the Casamance crisis was the root cause of the June 1998 mutiny within the army, which finally led to President Joao Bernardo Vieira's fall in May 1999.
"We are against any form of interference in the internal affairs of another state and against any policy aimed at destabilising neighbouring countries," he assured. "But since we have a common border with Senegalese, we have decided not to allow anyone to use our territory to disturb the Senegalese people."
It should be recalled that Guinea-Bissau was invited to take part in the last peace talks on the Casamane crisis, held in Ziguinchor, the region's capital, 16 December.
Even though Yala decided to consider national reconciliation as a priority, he did not neglect the country's economy.
"The wealth of an economy is in its people. The first step is peace, energy and the Guinean people's will. The will exists and so do the human resources. Now, we are in search of peace, by forgetting earlier contradictions, and without vengeance. We want to attain national reconciliation which will enable us to use our internal resources. We are an agricultural and fishing country. With the help of our friends, we are going to gradually overcome all the difficulties," he explained.
In this regard, Guinea-Bissau can count on the international community, particularly the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which have just cancelled 85 percent of its external debt, over 800 million US dollars.
"The government is going to ensure it does not make the same mistakes as preceding regimes in the use of external assistance," the president reassured.
The issue of national liberation war veterans, furthermore, constitutes one of the government's major concerns, according to him.
He announced that war veterans will be reintegrated into the administration and diplomatic missions, for those who have the right qualifications, and in the agricultural and fisheries sectors for the others.
Yala, who does not envisage a tour of neighbouring countries, said that his first trip, early 2001, will be to Senegal. |
