At the annual Linden Town Day observances Sunday, he said he was concerned at the current spate of `dialogue conflicts' between the two parties and said these were not good signs for development.

The PNC/R has halted the dialogue process President Bharrat Jagdeo started a year ago with its leader Mr. Desmond Hoyte, citing grievances with the governing alliance.

President Jagdeo has said there has been progress on matters covered in the dialogue process and was surprised that the PNC/R Central Executive Committee had halted the talks.

But Mr. Hoyte last week reiterated that the dialogue will remain on `pause' until decisions reached on several issues raised in the dialogue were implemented.

Mayor Smith said the Government and the PNC/R need to sit down and stop fighting each other at the national and town levels.

This must be stopped now and brought to an end, he stressed.

The time has come to bring this state of affairs to an end as "everybody want to get on with their lives", he said, adding, "we can't wait until you conclude your dialogue at the top and there are other problems in the town - we have to move on."

Speaking at his sixth Town Day, Linden's longest serving one term mayor said he had not seen much improvement over the years.

Among other guests at the Linden Town Day 2002 celebrations were Prime Minister Sam Hinds, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Manzoor Nadir and Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice) Chairman, Mr. Mortimer Mingo.

Smith told the gathering at the Linden mini-bus park that the time was once again ripe to reflect on what had been achieved over the past year.

He said the bauxite community's problems of unemployment will not be solved only by the major Linden Economic Advancement Project (LEAP) which is being undertaken by the Government with assistance from the European Union.

The mayor claimed much has not been achieved in the town although some may recognise that the main roads have been repaired and that Mora Street and

Canvas City road are under construction. He noted that the Wismar Market was completed and aspects of the Urban Development Programme were also under way in Linden.

Smith said he believed in conflict resolution and not conflict escalation and welcomed views from all who wanted to contribute to the betterment of the living standards in the town.

The most serious problem facing Linden was unemployment and the lack of job opportunities, he said.

He said nurses and health workers from Linden who are residing overseas have been making great contributions in the fight against the HIV/AIDS disease which is threatening the town.

He called on all to come together and fight the disease and make a more serious effort to bring the problem under control.

He disagreed with the location of the Linden Care Foundation. It has accelerated its AIDS awareness campaign in the town but is located at Christianburg, which Smith said is not close to the areas in the town where counselling can be done.

The mayor admitted there were difficulties in the Linden Town Council, but said there were attempts to overcome these.

He appealed for unity since in unity there is strength and everyone should cooperate with the council.