Guinea-Bissau: Security Council backs Annan's call for 'constructive dialogue'

The members of the United Nations Security Council today backed a recent call by Secretary-General Kofi Annan for all sides in Guinea-Bissau to promote constructive dialogue within the norms laid down by the country's constitution.

In a statement to the press, the current President of the Council, Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom, said that the 15-member body supported the Secretary-General's appeal to both the executive and the legislative branches to reach a compromise on the constitutional issue, including the separation of powers.

Council members also called on President Kumba Yalà to commit himself "to fully respect for national reconciliation, good governance and the implementation of the programme for demobilization, reintegration and reinsertion of former combatants," Ambassador Greenstock said.

[In Durban, South Africa, today, the Secretary-General met with President Yalà on the sidelines of the summit meeting of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).]

They also urged the President to commit to close monitoring of the management of public finances and to improve relations with the Gambia while continuing full co-operation with Senegal on the issues at stake, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, members of the Council supported the Secretary-General's call for assistance from the international community for Guinea-Bissau in priority areas and encouraged the Bretton Woods institutions to continue their constructive engagement with the country, Ambassador Greenstock said.

The statement followed a private meeting of the Council in which it heard a briefing from David Stephen, Mr. Annan's Representative for Guinea-Bissau and the head of the UN Peace Building Support Office there (UNOGBIS).