Dear Friend,
Although mr. Jammeh is no representative of our country; Gambians should be
concerned with the Senegalese peace process. We should show concern and make
efforts to be instruments of peace. Even though we are not legally under the
same government hardly anything can be senegalese and not Gambian . This is
true  in terms of culture ,politics econormics, religion and unfortunately
warfare.But for the impotence of our political system the Casamance upheaval
would have been long put to rest!Senegal has to remotely contain their
domestic problem because of an ineffective physical and diplomatic medium
,the present "Gambia Government wana be"!
    Its is in Senegals strategic political interest to interest herslf in
Gambian peace and stablity;this is equally so for Gambia.


                              Kalilu




>From: Dampha Kebba <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: GAMBIA WITHDRAWS FROM CASAMANCE PEACE PROCESS
>Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2000 09:18:12 EDT
>
>The article below was culled from the Gambian Daily Observer. Reading
>between the lines of a demoralized Sedat Jobe press conference, I detected
>that the Senegalese finally smelt the coffee and kick Yaya out of the
>negotiations. The Senegalese have fine soldiers like Ebou Colly to thank
>for
>their government's decision to send Yaya packing. I look forward to Colly's
>reaction to this pivotal news. I hope and pray that the Senegalese
>government will not ascribe Yaya's illegal and slimy actions to the
>peace-loving Gambian people. We have no quarrel with Senegal. People like
>Sedat Jobe are gutless vermin that will follow a moron like Yaya to Hell if
>need be. We will hold Yaya and MFDC responsible if they make it necessary
>for Senegalese soldiers to pursue them into Gambian territory and put
>Gambian villagers in jeopardy. The reckless government we have back home
>should cease all contact with and support for the MFDC. The Yaya government
>should stop harboring rebels in Gambian hotels and treating them at Gambian
>hospitals. The government should also stop being a conduit for supplying
>arms to the rebels. In other words, Gambians should stay out of a war that
>does not concern us.
>KB
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>GAMBIA WITHDRAWS FROM CASAMANCE PEACE PROCESS Mfdc Calls For Sanctions On
>Senegal
>The Gambia government yesterday announced its withdrawal from the mediation
>role in the Casamance conflict. Following instructions from President
>Jammeh, the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs called a press
>conference
>to brief the media on the development.
>Before the press conference, Foreign Affairs secretary, Dr ML Sedat Jobe,
>held a 52 minute closed door meeting with the diplomats, including UN's
>Malika Akrouf, USA's George Haley, Britain's John Perrott, Nigeria's Jacob
>Ngbako, Sierra's Leone's EM Fofana, Unicef's Teresa Hevia, WHO Mwanzia,
>FAO's Mikkola and Mauritania's Mohamed. At the press conference, SoS Jobe
>told journalists, "We are withdrawing to avoid indecent atmosphere in which
>our role has been misunderstood."
>He explained that following his inauguration as president of Senegal,
>Abdoulaye Wade had pleaded with the Gambia government to continue to play a
>pro-active role in the Casamance peace process begun during President Abdou
>Diouf's regime, but that Wade has neither created a new mediation team nor
>other enabling factors for the negotiations. "When we first mediated, our
>intention was to withdraw but there were a lot of reactions in Senegal by
>the people who think that The Gambia should continue with her role," Jobe
>recalled. Dr Jobe said The Gambia has been marginalised in all the recent
>meetings on Casamance and that Wade's government does not recognise the
>Abidjan code nor The Gambia's mediation role in the peace process.
>However, Dr Jobe said "withdrawal (from the peace process) does not mean
>hostility (to Senegal). I do not think this will pose any negative impact
>in
>The Gambia's relationship with Senegal." Asked about the reaction of the
>diplomats to the Gambia government's decision, Dr Jobe said they expressed
>sadness over the incident "but they understand The Gambia's situation."
>Gambia, he added, does not derive any monetary gains from the peace
>process,
>"instead, the country is spending from its meagre resources, still that is
>not moral...to the government of Wade." Dr Jobe passionately appealed to
>the
>media to stress that the withdrawal has no negative connotation.
>Sanctions on Senegal Meanwhile, Alexandre Djiba, the MFDC spokesman, has
>called on the international community to freeze all financial assistance to
>the government of Mr Wade "until he decides to engage effectively and
>concretely in the search for peaceful settlement towards lasting and just
>peace in Casamance." Mr Djiba told Daily Observer yesterday, "the silence
>of
>all democrats of the world does nothing but reinforce the feeling of
>impunity of the Senegalese policy in Casamance.
>He (Wade) tries to undermine the war in Casamance which has been going on
>for nearly 20 years by saying the crisis is internal and should be solved
>among Senegalese. Wade is preparing for the restart of hostilities in
>Casamance. The Movement of Democratic Forces in Casamance is appealing to
>the International Community to renounce the crime, which Mr Wade is willing
>to foster in Casamance," he concluded.
>
>_________________________________________________________________________
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