Gurn Government of National Unity and Reconciliation
The establishment of a Government of  National Unity and Reconciliation (Governo  de Unidade Nacional - GURN) in Angola  has long been seen as an essential step towards  consolidation of the peace process and  subsequent improvement in relations between  the various political forces, and towards the  normalization of democracy.
While this has been seen in some quarters,  somewhat unrealistically, as an end in itself, the  establishment of GURN cannot be separated  from the implementation of a wider range of measures, both military and civil, as agreed  between the Angolan Government and Unita in  Bicesse (May 1991 ) and in Lusaka  (November 1994)

As President Jose Eduardo dos Santos emphasised in his speech on the occasion of GURN  taking office on 11 April 1997, its establishment was just" one more essential step in the  long  and difficult process of bringing peace and harmony to Angolan society" and not "a  panacea to  solve all the country's problems".

 The Angolan Head of State made it clear, however, that GURN would contribute  "decisively"  to solving these problems, "since it places the utmost importance on the higher  national interest, love of the homeland, concern for the poorer sections of  society, and  investment in a future of peace, democracy and development".
In a speech one week later to the first extraordinary session of the Council of Ministers,  President Jose Eduardo dos Santos accordingly advised members of GURN to do  everything in their power to fulfil the justifiable expectations of the Angolan people in respect  of the new government, since in the current climate of peace and reconciliation, "it will be  unacceptable if our efforts fail to produce the conditions required for a better and more  stable life for everyone and for restarting and normalizing the nation's economic and social  activity".
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