<<Print>>

The Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper and member of the Socialist Forum Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has slammed government�s decision to recognize the National Transitional Council (NTC) of Libya describing the decision as �premature�. Mr. Pratt indicated that �it is premature to the extent that the African Union has not as yet taken a clear position to recognize the rebels, the Non-Aligned Movement has also not taken any such position and above all many of the country�s in the third world like Nicaragua, Venezuela, India and so on, have not recognized the Transitional National Council. �I think it is therefore premature for the Government of Ghana to have rushed into recognizing the rebels�. Speaking on Citi FM�s Eyewitness News on Monday September 12, Mr. Pratt opined that the current conflict in Libya bothers on legality and international legitimacy. He added that �everybody knows that what NATO is doing in Libya is against the United Nations Resolution in Libya, and no approval has been given to any country to effect regime change in Libya. �That is the question of legality, it is not about whether Gaddafi ultimately wins or not. � Mr. Pratt�s comment comes on the back of similar concerns raised by a research fellow at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana Dr. Michael Kpesah Whyte who indicated that such a recognition could send a wrong signal to people out there who have access to arms that they could rise up anytime, overthrow a legitimate government or otherwise and basically be recognized by the international system. Mr. Kpesah Whyte however indicated that it would have been better for Ghana to pursue the road of quiet diplomacy. Mr. Kwesi Pratt however added that resolving the current impasse in Libya �is up to the International Community to decide whether it would recognize acts of illegality or illegitimacy and so on. �If you want to acknowledge and recognize acts of illegality, what would the world become? So it is important that at every stage in all situations, the international community respects legality�. Meanwhile, a coalition group known as �US NATO Hands Off Libya, Hands off Africa� has threatened to embark on a demonstration on Wednesday September 21 at 10 am. A leading member of the coalition Richard Hudson told Citi News that the demonstration is "to register our opposition to the US-NATO invasion of Libya and Africa and the government of Ghana�s decision to recognize the rebel National Transitional Council as the legitimate government of Libya�.