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Côte d'Ivoire: Ghana Breaks Ranks With Ecowas
Ghana's decision not to contribute troops in support of a possible military intervention in La Cote d'Ivoire has in no doubt complicated matters for ECOWAS, which has served notice on the beleaguered Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo that, should ongoing diplomatic efforts fail to get him to step down; the sub-regional grouping will have no option but to force him out.Ghana's new position which runs contrary to the Abuja Communiqué on the political stalemate in La Cote d'Ivoire was made known by President John Evans Atta Mills in a media encounter in Accra last Friday. Ghana is one of three countries, along with Nigeria and Senegal that would normally be expected to play a leading role in any military intervention by ECOWAS. President Mills also thinks military force will not solve the post election deadlock in that country. "As a person, I don't think that this military operation is going to bring peace to Cote d'Ivoire," he stated. According to him, the country's military is overstretched as it is engaged in many peacekeeping assignments around the world and that he was not about to risk Ghana's internal peace to get rid of Mr. Gbagbo. He said: "As Commander in Chief, I consulted with my Military High Command and they advised that they could not release troops to join any ECOWAS contingent to take military action in Cote d'Ivoire." But the President's comments appear not to go down well with many. Alassane Ouattara who is largely recognized by ECOWAS and the international community as having won the election is currently holed up in the grounds of Abidjan's Golf Hotel with his government-in-waiting. But President Mills said Ghana was monitoring the situation very carefully and "will continue to pursue initiatives which will ensure there is peace in Cote d'Ivoire." The President's position, however, fueled earlier speculations, especially in the international media that Ghana was covertly supporting incumbent President Gbagbo. A former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, however disagrees with President Mills. To him the President's position is a betrayal of the sub-regional body. "He is now seen to be breaking ranks with ECOWAS. We must take the moral high ground," he said in a reaction to the President's comments in an interview with the electronic media last Friday. Posted by: Fred 2011-01-11 |
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