My message is that there are hopes,
there have been small steps, things falling into place since my arrival,
there has to be a more inclusive government and this can happen in the
next few days, a week or two, which would pave the way for the African
Union to lift suspension of Guinea-Bissau as member of the African
Union. Nowadays, in the twenty-first century, you cannot stage a coup
hoping the rest of the world will suffrage and «business as usual»: no,
there have been strong predictable reaction from the African Union,
which is to be praised. This has encouraged political leaders in
Guinea-Bissau to accelerate, intensify their own efforts, dialog and
promoting discussions at every level to have a common vision.
_How do you envisage these negotiations? Because they are not easy...
No,
definetly, bissau-guineans, political leaders, like any political
leader anywhere in the world, enjoy political power, enjoy privileges,
and once you have a political power you find it very dificult to want to
share, you need to be very patient, do not take anything for granted,
but us, the representative of Secretary General, I never work alone, and
actually my number one partner, that has the leading role, is ECOWAS
and with them I work with, and cease leadership to them.
_How is the situation of the... drug trafficking? How is this
being dealt with? Because this is a very important part of the whole
situation in Guinea-Bissau.
It is indeed a serious problem,
as serious as illegal fishing in Guinea-Bissau waters, as serious as
illegal logging of Guinea-Bissau forest, so it cannot be seen as the
only problem. Guinea-Bissau faces drug trafficking that come from South
America using Guinea-Bissau and other countries in West Africa as
transit to Europe are serious problems, and the America are right in
forcefully intervene. Ideally, preferable is that Guinea-Bissau
authorities take actions. And individuals in Guinea-Bissau, in the army
or in the politics, in government, who are involved, better stop,
clearing everything, cooperating with authorities, get rid of the drugs.
If they are involved in the past, close that chapter completely,
because I'm telling them, sooner or later, the Americans will get one
more person, and don't underestimate them, they managed to get Al-Qaeda
in the caves of Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, picking up someone in
Guinea-Bissau, or anywhere in West Africa, is picknick for them.
_Now, let's talk about your country, Timor-Leste. When you
were president there, you developed a very interesting concept which is:
helping based on solidarity, not based on your bank account, or how
wealthy you are, and now Timor-Leste is taking an aid agency to
Guinea-Bissau, two million dollars, a considerable ammount of money.
When is this going to happen and how is this going to be in pratice?
The parliament already alocated the money. Now they are first
looking for two or three timorese staff to lead the agency, and those
two or three people, they will be paid by a separate budget from East
Timor. I believe things can start by June, July, and it's not the first
time that we provide aid. In the last five years, Timor-Leste has
donated at least ten million dollars to countries that had severe
national disasters. And we do that in sincerity, we know it is not huge,
but Timor-Leste has been beneficiary of so much international help...
Now we do have a bit of money from oil and gas, let's do what other's
have done to us.
