05 FEV 99 - 21:58

Guinea-Bissau: Italian Priest Expelled After Denouncing Presence of French Troops

Bissau, Feb. 5 (Lusa) - An Italian priest who has lived in Guinea-Bissau for the past 43 years was expelled from the country Friday.

Marco Faccioli, aged 77, was informed at 4pm local time (1600 GMT) of a presidential order giving him 24 hours to leave the country.

In radio interviews earlier this week, Faccioli had denounced the presence in Guinea-Bissau of French troops backing the country's embattled president, Nino Vieira.

Those allegations and other reports of French involvement have been denied by both the French ambassador in Bissau and French President Jacques Chirac.

After receiving the expulsion order, a deeply upset Faccioli said he had based his statements on eyewitness accounts by the local population.

05 FEV 99 - 20:02

Guinea-Bissau: EU Resumes Humanitarian Flights

Brussels, Feb. 5 (Lusa) - The European Union's humanitarian agency ECHO is to resume aid flights to Guinea-Bissau, the European Commission announced Friday.

The flights on Friday and Saturday will carry 20 thousand vaccinations to fight an outbreak of meningitis in the Oio region east of the capital, as well as 1.5 tons of surgical equipment for hospitals in Bissau and Canchungo.

The EU has provided 2.85 million euros of humanitarian aid to Guinea-Bissau since a military revolt broke out last June.

The latest aid package is designed to meet emergency needs stemming from the fighting that broke out in Bissau on Jan. 30. A cease-fire signed Feb. 3 appears to be holding.

Contactos E-mail:
Geocities:  bissau@oocities.com

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