Foreign Affairs Minister, Hanna Tetteh has debunked the claim that she walked�out of a three-day conference of African Mayors on Monday.
Former President Jerry John Rawlings has described the Foreign Affairs Minister as 'disrespectful' after she allegedly walked out of the meeting without informing anybody. (click to read story)
However, in a statement Hanna Tetteh said since her main aim was to deliver the President's speech at the conference, if the Vice President, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has been called upon to deliver the speech on behalf of President Mahama, then there was no need for her to be there.
"I decided to sit & wait to see if the VP would come because my understanding was that I was to stand in, and give the President's speech and I thought it wasn't a good idea to leave and be called back. I was sitting on the other side of the room from JJ. As soon as the VP arrived he went to JJ to greet him & other dignitaries (who I had also greeted when I got there), they were all chatting so I slipped out of the other door and left to go to Cabinet. Admittedly I didn't tell all the people I had previously greeted that I was leaving, but I felt it wasn't really necessary to announce my departure & explaining to everyone the reason why as the program was already running very late & I was sure the focus would be on getting started. Now how is that disrespectful?" she queried.
The three-day conference was attended by over 3,000 delegates made up of Mayors, city authorities and leaders from Africa and Africans in the Diaspora to forge alliance and partnership to promote the development of Africa and people in the diaspora.
However, in a statement issued by and attributed to the Foreign Minister, Mrs Tetteh gave a version of events that conflicted with Mr Rawlings� account.�
Read Full Statement below
"I heard the Joy FM story. The facts as far as I am concerned are as follows:
On Monday as far as I was concerned the No. 1 item on my agenda was the emergency Cabinet Meeting for 10.00 am. I got a call from Amb. Quartey - Sec to the President at 9.45 asking me to stand in for the President at the Mayors Conference, and that the program was starting at 10.30 am, I asked for the speech to be emailed to me so that I could leave, at 10 am my Chief of Protocol started calling me frantically that the program had been brought forward to 10 am but that while the Mayor of Accra was indicating the VP was coming when he called his protocol officers there was no response and so could I hurry up & come because the program was to start. I rushed to the Conference centre to be told by the Mayor that he had spoken to the President and the VP was coming. My response was that if that was the cased then there was no need for me to be there.
I decided to sit & wait to see if the VP would come because my understanding was that I was to stand in, and give the President's speech and I thought it wasn't a good idea to leave and be called back. I was sitting on the other side of the room from JJ.
As soon as the VP arrived he went to JJ to greet him & other dignitaries (who I had also greeted when I got there), they were all chatting so I slipped out of the other door and left to go to Cabinet. Admittedly I didn't tell all the people I had previously greeted that I was leaving, but I felt it wasn't really necessary to announce my departure & explaining to everyone the reason why as the program was already running very late & I was sure the focus would be on getting started. Now how is that disrespectful?"
<<Print>>