01 FEV 99 - 22:05

Guinea-Bissau: Portugal and France Seek Cease-Fire

Bissau, Feb. 1 (Lusa) - Portugal and France are engaged in efforts to obtain a cease-fire between the rival factions in Guinea-Bissau, diplomatic sources told Lusa Monday.

To that end French ambassador Francois Chapellet met with President Nino Vieira Monday.

A Portuguese government letter calling for a cease-fire has also been delivered to the Guinea-Bissau head-of-state. A diplomatic source spoke Monday to Francisco Fadul, prime minister-designate of the transitional "national unity" government.

Fadul said he would only be able to speak to rebel Military Junta leader Ansumane Mane on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the rebels reportedly advanced into the capital Monday. Shelling by heavy artillery ceased in the late afternoon, though machine-gun fire and grenade and mortar explosions continued to rock downtown Bissau Monday evening.

01 FEV 99 - 21:25

Guinea-Bissau: Fighting Continues, Rebel Troops Advance into Capital

Bissau, Feb. 1 (Lusa) - Fighting continued into the evening Monday in the capital of Guinea-Bissau, as Military Junta rebels reportedly advanced against forces loyal to President Nino Vieira entrenched in the center of Bissau.

Artillery bombardments earlier in the day gave way to machine-gun fire heard through the afternoon in three urban neighborhoods, a sign that the rebels were coming into closer contact with pro-Vieira forces.

A French warship, the Siroco, has received orders not to approach Bissau, thus delaying the scheduled Monday morning arrival of 300 peacekeepers from Benin and Niger.

Fighting between the two sides broke out early Sunday morning, shortly after negotiators announced agreement on a plan to implement the Nov. 2 Abuja peace accord, including a timetable for withdrawal of foreign troops backing Vieira and deployment of the West African "Ecomog" peacekeeping force.

Troops from Senegal and Guinea-Conakry suppored Vieira against the Military Junta in the armed forces mutiny that began on June 7.

01 FEV 99 - 14:19

Guinea-Bissau: Heavy Fighting Rocks Bissau for Second Day

Bissau, Feb. 1 (Lusa) - Heavy artillery and automatic arms fire rocked the capital of Guinea-Bissau Monday for the second day as thousands of civilians began fleeing the city center.

Rebel radio broadcast an appeal for the population of the city of some 200,000 to abandon Bissau, in a move some obervers said could signal an intensification of fighting. Unofficial sources told Lusa the combats had caused about 15 civilian deaths and more than 150 wounded. Bissau hospital reportedly suffered severe damage in the shelling.

Forces loyal to President Nino Vieira and the rebel Military Junta blamed each other for breaking the cease-fire before dawn Sunday, just hours after negotiators for the two sides announced agreement on a plan to implement the Nov. 2 peace accord.

The fighting, the worst since a truce was arranged in late August, erupted as a French warship approached Bissau with a 300-strong West African peace-keeping force.

The war started June 7 when much of the country's armed forces rebelled against Vieira, who then called in troops from neighboring Senegal and Guinea-Conakry to bolster his weakened government.

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