11 November 2013 – Former President Kumba Ialá, received by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) of the United Nations (UN), José Ramos-Horta, in the official residence, ensured that his sole intention is to help to consolidate peace and democracy in Guinea-Bissau.

José Ramos-Horta participated throughout the day on Saturday in the opening of regional offices of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS) in Bafatá (East) and Buba (Quínara, South), subsequently dedicating Sunday for meetings with several national political figures, including former Bissau-Guinean President Kumba Ialá.

The SRSG insistently urged Kumba Ialá to contribute to pacification and consolidation of stability in Guinea-Bissau.

"I discussed also with former President Kumba Ialá the need for political elites to dialogue with each other, such as among military elites and civil society itself, in order to eliminate mistrust and overcome differences, so that the efforts of all to focus on the elections, scheduled for the first quarter of 2014, are carried out with total tranquility and without losers", said Jose Ramos-Horta.

In this sense, the SRSG reaffirmed the conviction that, "given the complexity and scale of the challenges of all kinds that Guinea-Bissau is facing, no party could want to claim for itself the exclusive ownership of solutions and must therefore reach out and invite other political forces or independent persons to, together, establish a stable and effective governance".

On this occasion, the Nobel laureate once again condemned the beating of the Minister of State for Transport and Telecommunications, Orlando Viegas Mendes, who is still in a serious condition, having been evacuated to Portugal thanks to the generosity of the Lisbon authorities.

The Nobel laureate met on Friday at UNIOGBIS, in Bissau, with the Prosecutor-General of the Republic (PGR), Abdú Mané, whom he encouraged, while expressing the full support of the international community, to continue, with courage and determination, ongoing investigations relating to several incidents of violence that occurred in the country, in particular the attack on the Embassy of Nigeria, the lynching of at least one Nigerian citizen, the beating of the Minister of State and the brutality – which resulted in a mortal victim – during the training at the military training base of Cumeré.

The SRSG for expressed readiness for support the Office of the Prosecutor-General, - should the latter so consider necessary – technical support from international experts, who could move to Guinea-Bissau within the framework of the relevant investigative efforts.

José Ramos-Horta, speaking on behalf of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the entire international community, reiterated unconditional support to the Prosecutor-General, urging him to continue the investigations into all alleged acts of violence that have occurred in recent weeks in Guinea-Bissau.