Brussels, 27 January 2000
The European Union welcomes the return
of constitutional and democratic order to Guinea-Bissau through the holding
of free and fair legislative and presidential elections whose results are
the expression of the will of its people. The European Union appeals to
all parties in Guinea-Bissau to abide by those results and to cooperate
among themselves in order to consolidate peace, national reconciliation
and economic development.
The European Union congratulates the newly democratically elected institutions of government of the country and strongly encourages them to act in a spirit of tolerance, in order to strengthen democracy, the rule of law and the protection of human rights for the benefit and prosperity of the people of Guinea-Bissau.
The European Union reiterates that, under such conditions, it is ready to cooperate with the new authorities and to continue to support Guinea-Bissau in its reconstruction and rehabilitation programme.
The European Union commends the work carried out by the Government of National Unity as well as that of UNOGBIS for the promotion of the pacification and democratisation process in Guinea-Bissau.
The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area align themselves with this declaration.