Annan recommends extending UN peace-building office in Guinea-Bissau

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended that the Security Council extend the mandate of the United Nations Peace-building Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS) until 31 December.

The recommendation was made in a letter dated 12 October to the President of the Security Council, Ambassador Richard Ryan of Ireland, in which the Secretary-General said the overall situation in Guinea-Bissau remained "dangerously unstable."

"The authorities of Guinea-Bissau, in recent discussions with my Representative, have commended the work of UNOGBIS, and have requested the extension of its mandate until the next legislative and presidential elections," Mr. Annan said.

The UN Office, which has been open since April 1999, helps promote reconciliation and strengthen democratic institutions. Following the elections in Guinea-Bissau in November 1999 and January 2000, the Office has helped the new government in the transitional period.