It has emerged per documents available to Peacefmonline that the Mahama administration signed one of the precedent agreements with the United States granting them (USA) access into the country to camp its military forces, thus exposing the hypocrisy of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The document - detailing an agreement granting the US military access to use Ghana as a base for staging and deploying its forces among others - sparked public debate with its emergence in the media.
The Minority in Parliament vehemently opposed the deal, describing it as attempts by government to ‘sell out’ the country’s sovereignty to the US. They rejected the MoU laid before parliament last Tuesday recommending that the house ratifies the agreement.
But a one-sided Parliament on Friday night ratified the controversial defence cooperation agreement between Ghana and the US.
However, documents available to Peacefmonline, clearly suggests the previous administration sold Ghana out to the United States government in 2015 under the cover of darkness without recourse to Parliament for consideration and ratification.
A copy of the 2015 agreement signed between Hannah Tetteh on behalf of Ghana and James C. Vechery, Brigadier General of the U.S Air Force and Director of Logistics for the U.S Africa Command on behalf of the US government, and which has been kept away from even the Ghanaian Military, spelt out clearly that there will be the facilitation of a reciprocal logistic support between the parties to be used primarily during combined exercise, training, deployments, port calls, operations, or other cooperative efforts.
Peacefmonline.com has in its possession copies of a 1998 agreement signed by the Rawlings government with the USA; and also, an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement entered into by Ghana and the United States in 2015 signed by then Minister of Foreign Affairs under the ertswhile Mahama regime, Hannah Tetteh.
A quick read through both documents (the 1998/2015 agreements) show little discrepancy in the 2018 agreement ratified in Parliament and those signed under the NDC 1 and 3 regimes headed by ex-President Jerry John Rawlings and Hannah Tetteh, respectively on the blind side of Ghana.
Some similarities between the 2018 and the 1998 agreements are cited below:
In the 1998 agreement, it was provided that “US military personnel and civilian employees of the US Department of Defence who may be temporarily present in Ghana in connection with the Africa Crisis Response Initiative and other activities [should]…be accorded the status equivalent to that accorded to administrative and technical staff of the United States Embassy under the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations of 18th April 1961, and that they may enter and exit Ghana with United States identifications and with collective movement or individual travel orders.”
The 2018 agreement has a similar provision. It says in Article 3 Clause 1 that, “Ghana shall accord to military personnel and civilian personnel the privileges, exemptions, and immunities equivalent to those accorded to the administrative and technical staff of a diplomatic mission under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of April 18, 1961.”
Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, held a press conference last Thursday to expose what he described as the dishonesty and hypocrisy of the NDC.
Attached below are copies of the agreements:
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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In fairness, i concede publishing that 2018 agreement would aid the intellectual discourse. But charlie, that document is already in the public domain oo. Maybe, i ASSUME that is why Peacefmonline decided to publish just the '98 & 2015 documents. Infact, it was an NDC MP who leaked it on his facebook page and later Joyfm did their so-called exposé. I even read the current document on Ghanaweb
This saga portrays us as children because we are saying that the precedent governments did this and that therefore the current government is right to do the same. History tells us that the traditional kings sold the weak tribes to the white as slaves for bottles of drinks so our republic leaders are repeating the same thing. NDC=NPP, this simple equation explains the policy-making vacuum. How much does Pakistan or Egypt receive for similar agreement? We are not patriotic because a patriot thinks of his country first and then his political party or affiliation in second position. Please, stop quibbling about the past and get a laudable solution to save Ghana's reputable image
Peace fm you are a endangering this country to trouble why do you publish security document. you have expose Ghana to tourist attack. You do politics with every issue, time will tell
When NPP took over from the previous Government (NDC)the first job they tackled was cancellations,abrogations, Money for value audits,change of contractors, re-award of contracts, so on and so forth. Is it abrogation of US/GH Military Agreement that is impossible for the current Government to do it? This same excuse was given to Ghanaians in the infamous GITMO 2. NPP YOU HAVE REALLY TAKEN GHANAIANS FOR GRANTED! My 3-year son self cannot be beaten by this deceptions. NO, NO, NOT!!!
please post the current agreement also here for us to compare and contrast. otherwise some of us will see some of you as being bias. I believe it's a public document now, and you should make both available for us to make our judgment and comments.
The bad things NDC did must be condemn. But unfortunately, instead of condemning it NPP is rather repeating those evil things. God visit the Ghanaian politicians with all the curses and the punishment you have.
This is the most reckless government i ever come across how can you put security document into social media. I can tell you Ghana is doom. We are now expose all sort of attack. If we are not careful very soon there will be no Ghana. The politics is too much.
Who care if NDC guys are Hypocrite, we are talking about ghana and you fooooooooooools are talking about NDC. Are you guys crazy or something. We are talking about the future of our country and we want to reduce this to NDC hypocrisy. Nosenseeeeeeeee
***barred word*** NPP. I have regretted voting this good for nothing party. APuuuuuuuu!!!
Whats the point of putting scan copies of the old agreement here? What about the current agreement. This is lazy journalism to it highest. Its the Npp people you can deceive but not the right thinking people in Ghana. This current agreement sucks. Do a betterjob next time.