Below is an article from the Daily Observer on a comment by  President Wade
on relations between Senegal and Gambia. He specifically mentions the
building of a bridge across River Gambia. I have heard rumors that our
government just refuses to build a bridge for some reason but I have always
assumed the real reason was prohibitive cost. Wouldn't the Gambia benefit
more from a bridge than anyone else? What's the real logic behind this
refusal?



Wade On 'Problems' With Gambia

The Daily Observer (Banjul)
NEWS
March 21, 2003
Posted to the web March 21, 2003

By Frederick Tendeng
Banjul

In a prime time live broadcast Wednesday on Sud FM Radio, Senegalese
president, Abdoulaye Wade, admitted to the existence of 'difficulties' in
the relations between his country and The Gambia.

Answering questions from Sud FM journalists, Wade said, "I will not be
realistic if I tell you here that everything is fine with The Gambia. But I
can tell you that neither I nor my country is responsible for the
difficulties we experience in the relations between our two countries." He
said he and Jammeh have returned visits to each other's capital but that
"the key problem remains". This, he claimed, is President Jammeh's "refusal
to allow the construction of a bridge (in The Gambia which will facilitate
road transportation) between northern and southern Senegal.

However, President Wade said he recognised that The Gambia is a sovereign
country which can decide what it wants to do within its sovereign borders.

He added that he could not do anything about President Jammeh's refusal to
allow the construction of a bridge over the River Gambia.

Casamance

President Wade also admitted erring when he promised to solve the Casamance
problem within 100 days. He however explained that General Mansour Seck,
former Senegalese army chief of staff and other generals of the Senegalese
armed forces met him when he was a minister in Abdou Diouf's Government to
assure him that he could help in finding a lasting solution to the Casamance
crisis. President Wade also revealed that the mayor of Ziguinchor, Robert
Sagnia, gave him the same assurances which he said prompted his promise.

But he explained, "with time, I now realise that I have made a mistake when
I promised to resolve this issue within 100 days." Among other issues, Wade
discussed on the prime time live telecast was the teachers union crisis and
the war in Iraq.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2003 The Daily Observer. All rights reserved. Distributed by
AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).


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