SECRETARY-GENERAL CONTINUES VISIT TO GHANA

Press Release
SG/T/2005

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONTINUES VISIT TO GHANA

On Tuesday, 28 November, the third day of his official visit to Ghana, Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali went to Parliament House at 10 a.m. to call on the Speaker of Parliament, Daniel F. Annan. The Speaker welcomed the Secretary-General by stating the strong and faithful commitment of Parliament to United Nations action. He also pledged that Parliament would continue to approve the financial contributions to the United Nations budget. The Secretary-General stressed that parliaments had an important role to play in support of the United Nations and that was why he welcomed the recent strengthening of relations between the United Nations and parliaments all over the world. Later the majority leader, G.H. Owusu-Acheampong, and the minority leader, Owusu Agyekum, also addressed the meeting and pledged support to the United Nations.

At 11 a.m. the Secretary-General had a 90-minute meeting with the President, Jerry John Rawlings. The President was accompanied by: the Presidential Adviser on Governmental Affairs, Paul Victor Obeng; member of the Council of State in charge of Security Affairs, Kojo Taikata; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Obed E. Asamoah; Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu; and Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Chambas. The Secretary- General was accompanied by the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Lansana Kouyate.

The Secretary-General expressed his gratitude to the President of Ghana for participating in the special session of the General Assembly organized in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary and for the continuous support given by Ghana to the United Nations and its activities, including its peace-keeping operations. The President and the Secretary-General had in-depth discussions regarding the situations in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Concerning Liberia, the Secretary-General thanked the President for having co-hosted the pledging conference on Liberia held in New York, which successfully raised commitments of $145 million. The President recalled the continuous efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to restore peace, security

- 2 - Press Release SG/T/2005 28 November 1995

and stability in Liberia, and pledged the continuous contribution of Ghana to the operation. The two interlocutors expressed the hope that their action would help maintain the new interest demonstrated by the international community for the restoration of peace in the country.

Concerning Sierra Leone, the President and the Secretary-General expressed their disappointment at the fact that the Revolutionary United Front leadership was not forthcoming in establishing a dialogue with the Government that would facilitate a political solution to the problems of the country. They agreed that their attitude could be an obstacle to the ongoing process of democratization, particularly the elections set for 26 February 1996. They called on the Revolutionary United Front to respond to the request of the Government of Sierra Leone and to initiate a process of negotiation.

The President briefed the Secretary-General about the Summit Meeting of the Commonwealth, held in Auckland, and the decisions taken regarding Nigeria.

At the end of the meeting, the President of Ghana introduced the Secretary-General to a group of farm leaders from the 10 regions of Ghana.

At 3:15 p.m., the Secretary-General was expected to meet the Foreign Minister of Canada, Andre Ouellet. At 5 p.m., the Secretary-General would visit the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office, where he would meet with the heads of the United Nations agencies and the United Nations staff in Ghana. At 6 p.m. the Secretary-General would hold a meeting with representatives of non-governmental organizations active in the field of international affairs, including the Ghana United Nations Association, the Ghana United Nations Students Association, and other United Nations related non-governmental organizations. At 7:15 p.m. the Secretary-General would receive, at their request, a group of Ambassadors from Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine.

On Wednesday, 29 November, the Secretary-General will depart for Monrovia, Liberia and later proceed to Freetown, Sierra Leone.

* *** *