Statement [made on behalf of the Security Council, at the 6105th meeting, 9 Apr. 2009, in connection with the Council's consideration of the item entitled "The situation in Guinea-Bissau"]

Welcomes the swearing-in as Interim President of Guinea-Bissau of M. Raimundo Pereira and notes with satisfaction the commitment of the new authorities to maintain the constitutional order; welcomes the presidential election for 28 June 2009, and urges the Government and all political actors to hold a free, fair, transparent and credible presidential election; expresses the need to deploy military and police contingents to ensure the protection of the republican institutions, the authorities; condemns recent cases of arbitrary detentions, armed attacks and intimidation, and demands a full protection of human rights and fundamental freedom of the people; stresses the importance of national reconciliation and the fight against impunity; reiterates the importance of the security sector reform; remains concerned by the growth in illegal drug trafficking, as well as transnational organized crime; calls on the international community to provide timely and adequate support for the implementation of the Strategic Peacebuilding Framework adopted by the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC); reiterates the importance of the regional dimension in the resolution of the problems; looks forward to receiving recommendations from the Secretary-General on how the UN presence should be reconfigured to support peacebuilding more effectively.

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