In Bissau November polls-

The President of the Republic of The Gambia Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, yesterday, presided over a historic political consultative meeting which brought together leaders of 18 political parties from Guinea Bissau. The meeting was convened at the Kairaba Beach Hotel in Kololi.

Initiated by President Jammeh himself, the meeting centered on preparations for the forthcoming Bissau legislative elections, scheduled for November 16, 2008.  The one-day meeting was also meant to assist Guinea Bissau political party leaders to deliberate on issues gearing towards strengthening peace and political stability in their country.

The political forum, described by many as historic, also provided the Gambian leader the opportunity to interact with major political party leaders of The Gambia such as Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, Hamat Bah and Lamin Waa Juwara, the party leaders of the UDP, NRP and NDAM respectively. The presence of the Gambian opposition leaders clearly demonstrates his commitment to unity and the promotion of peace and stability in the sub-region.

Addressing the august gathering, President Jammeh said The Gambia was neutral in Bissau politics and that it was up to them to choose their leaders. 

Considering the former Portuguese colony as a true friend of The Gambia, president Jammeh however said that the reason behind such a political forum lies on the strong will to reinforce peace and stability ahead of the November 16 legislative election. He then called on the Guinea Bissau politicians to ensure political stability in their country and to distance themselves from politics of violence, abuses and castigations, which he said, would retard the country's peace and reconstruction processes. 

He urged them to obey rules of the electoral body and avoid tribal politics. "No matter what we say here. At the end of the day, the people of Guinea Bissau are responsible for their own peace and tranquillity in the country", he said.

"I heard a lot of things in Bissau that prompted me to visit the country as I want to see for myself the situation on the ground.  During my visit, I realized that the people of Guinea need help which resulted to this meeting so as to discuss before you start your politics", the Gambian leader said. 

President Jammeh also warned the Guinea Bissau political party leaders to be mindful of tribalism and to forget about the past in order to focus on development.

"Being the majority tribe does not mean that you should be the leader of the country, as Allah determined who leads," the president said, and he went on:  "So I want all of you to do your campaign peacefully and free from tribalism."

Making reference to the just concluded historic development in the US, the president argued that President-elect Barack Obama could not have won the presidential election if it was based on tribalism or racism.

As political leaders, President Jammeh told his audience, their sole interests should be the socio-economic development of the country, noting that their first priority should be peace and stability.

While commending his counterpart, President Jao Bernado Nino Viera, for allowing the Guinea political party leaders to respond to his invitation, President Jammeh assured the people of Guinea Bissau of The Gambia's support.

For his part, Yankuba Touray, the secretary of state for Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, who also doubles as the APRC National Mobiliser, echoed President Jammeh's remarks, calling on the Guinea Bissau political heads to distance themselves from politics of violence.  He said for government to maintain democracy, there needed to be peace and tranquillity.

In The Gambia, SoS Touray indicated, tremendous achievements have been registered in the political system.  The APRC National Mobiliser backed his statement by citing the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding amongst Gambian political parties; the existence of equal opportunity for all parties on both national television and radio during election time; the establishment of the inter-party committee, among others. 

He consequently urged the leaders to ensure long lasting peace and political stability in their country.

Mousa Gibril Bala Gaye, the secretary of state for Finance and Economic Affairs, who represented Dr Omar Touray, the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs, welcomed the Bissau party leaders to The Gambia and urged them to work towards maintaining peace in their country.

Reacting to comments, a spokesperson of the Guinea Bissau political parties, Eusebio Sebastiao Silva, hailed President Jammeh for inviting them for a meeting of their interest.  He described the move as part of the president's continued commitment to the restoration of peace and stability in Guinea Bissau. He informed the gathering that at least 21 political parties had registered for the upcoming election.

Mr Silva assured the Gambian leader that his advices would be included to the process towards maintaining peace and stability in Bissau.  He expressed hope that the Bissau political party leaders would ensure politics of non violence, castigations and abuses.  With this meeting, he assured the President that they would follow Gambia's experience.

Mr Dabal Musa, the Head of ECOWAS Bureau in Banjul hailed President's Jammeh's tireless efforts to bring lasting peace and stability in Guinea Bissau.

Malleh Sallah, the vice-chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission and Carlos Salsamendi, the Cuban plenipotentiary to The Gambia all expressed similar sentiments.
 
Present at the occasion were Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, the Vice President and Secretary of State for Women's Affairs, Secretaries of State, National Assembly Members, religious leaders, Diplomats, service chief, traditional chiefs and across section of the public.

A final communiqué will consecrate Banjul meeting.