I think the petition is a good idea as it would express the wishes of those who sign off on it to see a unified opposition. I may share Bamba Laye's pessimism for I can hardly envisage a unified political front (UDP, PDOIS, NRP) when the opposition parties themselves cannot still overcome their differences and come to the table. I think the APRC leadership has noticed the schism and will seize the opportunity to prevail over the opposition. The UDP, PDOIS, and NRP have a long battle to wage, first against their own differences before facing a stronger opponent (APRC), which has the state resources at its disposal. A replay of the Senegalese scenario is remotely possible in The Gambia, but should not be ruled out. Hamadi _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------