Finally lingering suspicions that has long hobbled progress in the quest for peace in Cassamance have dramatically surfaced. It all began when President Wade made a one hour airport visit to Banjul to in essence announce that he was cutting Gambia off the mediation role and he would henceforth deal directly with the rebels and Guinea Bissau. At the time I thought this change in approach was primarily due to the fact that President Wade recognized Yahya Jammeh and his team as lacking in the requisite stature or diplomatic savvy needed to successfully mediate a resolution. More ominous, it turns out the Senegalese view Jammeh as being part of the problem. A public declaration by President Wade that Gambian and Guinea Bissau officials were regularly traveling to Libya to secure arms; a move he construes to be a mortal threat to Senegal has added a worrying component to a very volatile situation. Not only has Yahya Jammeh not manage to end a fratricidal war right on our doorstep, but through diplomatic chicanery, selfishness and indolence, he has poisoned our relationship with a neighbor we can't afford to antagonise.Senegal has every right to be wary of the machinations of Momarr Ghadaffi whose specialty it is to wreak havoc in the continent by using brutal tyrants like Yahya Jammeh to incite murder and mayhem. The twin tragedies of Liberia and Seirra Leone are the handiwork of Ghaddafi who trained and armed the architects of both genocides. Now that he has apparently cuddled Yahya Jammeh plus whoever is in charge in Bissau, I think President Wade is justified in pursing avenues that would enhance the overall security of his nation. Afterall he would be remiss if he does not adequately anticipate the kinds of schemes that is often hatched by the likes of Yahya Jammeh, Foday Sankoh and the like. The defensive and flimsy rhetoric uttered by Sedat Jobe this morning in response to President Wade's serious allegations only served to underscore the potential danger this crowd represent. I hope our brave private media would do their best to state that the Gambian people totally reject the quixotic and ultimately dangerous foreign policy being pursued by this government. This is an illegitimate government composed of murderers, criminals and reactionaries who are not only intent on ruining our country, but ultimately pose a hindrance to the overall stability and progress in the subregion. Yahya and his cohorts have converted their socalled mediation role into a goodwill seeking medallion eagerly and shamelessly waving it to any forum or individual they encounter in a bid to score whatever swipe of recognition that comes with peacemaking. Now that they have been publicly branded as being part of the problem, the government quickly announced they were withdrawing from their role as mediator. I say good riddance! Peacemaking was never your kind of thing. The Jammeh government has finally gotten it's proper appraisal: A Libyan supported terrorist state. Karamba ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------