Ghana Takes Strong Exception To UN Report

Ghana takes strong exception to the stated contents of purported United Nations (UN) Group of Experts report on Cote d’Ivoire, which was prematurely leaked to Reuters, a British cable news network, and subsequently published by the Daily Graphic on Thursday, October 11th 2012.

This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Chris Kpodo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, copied to the Ghana News Agency, in Accra on Friday.

It said: “It is grossly abnormal for such a report to appear in the public domain before it is received by the Security Council Sanctions Committee, which is scheduled to meet to receive the report on October 12.

The statement said: “The Government of Ghana, therefore, takes strong exception to the contents and leakage as it sought to give credence to repeated allegations that Ghana is being used as a base by Ivorian refugees and exiles to destabilise the Ivorian Government”,

It said the Government had reiterated that it would not tolerate the use of its territory by Ivorian refugees, exiles and asylum seekers, residing in Ghana to destabilise Cote d’Ivoire and that “the Government of Ghana stands firmly by this declaration”.

It said the UN Group of Experts requested for and was granted the opportunity to visit Ghana in July 2012, and met with relevant Ghanaian officials on the implementation of sanctions regime on Cote d’Ivoire.

The statement said: “By granting that opportunity and providing all information sought by the experts, the Government of Ghana openly demonstrated its good will, good faith and disposition to fully cooperate with the United Nations in monitoring the implementation of its decisions and resolutions.

“It has therefore come as surprise to the Government of Ghana that observation of the Group on related issues were not shared with the Government prior to the premature release to the Reuters,” it said.

Source: GNA