Tuesday, September 29, 2009

II Africa-South America Summit (Venezuela, 26 and 27 September of 2009) Declaration of Nueva Esparta



II Africa-South America Summit (Venezuela, 26 and 27 September of 2009)
Declaration of Nueva Esparta




27 September 2009



Themes: What we share in common:
SouthCom: Control of Latin America
AfriCom: Control of Africa


Nana Akyea Mensah

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    WE, the Heads of State and Government of Africa and South America, meeting in the Second Africa-South America Summit (II ASA) in Nueva Esparta State, Isla de Margarita, Venezuela on 26 and 27 September of 2009;


    1. EXPRESSING our appreciation to His Excellency Commander Hugo Chávez Frίas, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Government and the People of Venezuela for their warm reception and generous hospitality and for hosting, conducting and organizing the Second Africa-South America Summit with such excellence;

    2. TAKING NOTE of the Abuja Declaration of the First Africa-South America Summit held in Abuja, Nigeria, on 30 November 2006 and the efforts that have been made since then to consolidate the process of cooperation and strategic partnership between our two regions;

    3. AFFIRMING the commitment, as contained in the Abuja Declaration, to continue strengthening the links between our two regions and to foster and enhance cooperation in various areas of mutual interest;

    4. CONSIDERING also the deeply rooted historical and cultural ties that have inspired this relationship;

    5. ACKNOWLEDGING the active participation of Afro-descendant population in the development of South America as well as the contribution of South American countries to the consolidation of political independence and development on the African continent as part of this process;

    6. REAFFIRMING our commitment to foster South-South Cooperation as a major objective of both regions, in order to complement the traditional North-South Cooperation and promote, among other aims, sustained economic growth and decent work, enable social justice, foster inclusive social policies by mainstreaming the effective participation of youths, civil society and gender groups and persons with special needs, ensure equality, respect and mutual regard among states in the global system, promote economic cooperation and facilitate distribution of the benefits derived from exchange of goods and services, as well as generation and transfer of technical knowledge, aiming at the accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals;

    7. AGREEING to exchange experience and foster close and effective cooperation between our regions, with the strong support of the African Union (AU) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), important pillars of cooperation among our peoples, already forged by the contribution and role of both Organizations in the preparatory meetings leading up to the Second Summit;

    8. COMMENDING the efforts undertaken so far by the Follow-Up Coordinating Committee of ASA to intensify cooperation between Africa and South America and also to promote effective multilateralism for the mutual benefits of the states and peoples of the two regions;

    9. RECOGNIZING the outcomes of the International Seminar on the Poles of the South held in Caracas from 20 to 21 May 2008 and the Ministerial and Senior Officials/Experts Conferences held between the two Summits;

    10. REITERATING our will to promote peace, security and international cooperation on the basis of adherence to multilateralism, observance of International Law, the Rule of Law, Democracy, and respect of human rights and International Humanitarian Law;

    11. REAFFIRMING likewise our commitment to disarmament, non proliferation of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and the fight against traffic in small arms and light weapons in all their aspects; taking into consideration the decision to fight the global drug problem, within the framework of common and shared responsibility, terrorism in all its form, piracy, mercenarism, transnational organized crime, especially the traffic of persons and the smuggling of migrants;

    DECLARE THAT:

    12. In order to translate this wider commitment into action, we affirm the need to develop, consolidate and build on our axes of cooperation in the following specific areas:
    I. COOPERATION IN THE MULTILATERAL AREA

    13. WE RENEW our commitment to multilateralism within the framework of unrestricted respect for the norms and principles of International Law and the Charter of the United Nations.

    14. WE STATE our full support for the reform of the UN Security Council, as a process that, more than anything, should ensure a greater participation of developing countries in South America and Africa and the improvement of their working methods in order to correct current imbalances and make this Council a more democratic, transparent, representative, effective and legitimate body that responds to the new political realities. In this sense, we commend the efforts made in the intergovernmental negotiations on this matter, in accordance with Decision 62/557 of the UN General Assembly. We hope that this new stage of negotiations will be inclusive and fruitful in the 64th Session of the General Assembly.

    15. WE TAKE NOTE that Africa maintains its common position on the UN Reform, as stipulated in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government of July 2005, and reaffirm our commitment to the conclusion of the global processes of the UN Reform.
    II. COOPERATION TO FIGHT CRIME AND OTHER RELATED MATTERS

    16. WE RENEW our decision to strengthen initiatives for cooperation to fight all forms of transnational organized crime, such as illicit trafficking in Small Arms, Light Weapons and Ammunitions, the fight against human trafficking and against proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, both at the bilateral and multilateral levels, as well as our determination to implement follow-up mechanisms and action plans for institutional development and exchange of information with a view to developing joint work and cooperation in this area.

    17. WE RECOGNISE the adverse effects that all aspects of the worldwide problem of drugs, including the illegal traffic of narcotics and psychotropic substances and related crimes, have on security, peace, governance, economic development and public health of our peoples, as this poses a serious challenge to social and political institutions, contributes to environmental degradation and poverty, and weakens the efforts for social integration. In this respect, we commit ourselves to fostering initiatives, proposals, actions and activities to fight this phenomenon, both bi-regionally and bilaterally, acting always under the principles of common and shared responsibility, demanding an integral and balanced approach, respect for the sovereignty of States and their territorial integrity, non intervention in the internal affairs and respect for human rights, as set forth in the Charter of the United Nations.
    III. PEACE AND SECURITY

    18. WE EXPRESS our commitment to maintenance of international peace and security, as well as peaceful dispute settlement, observing the principle against the threat or use of force in international relations and supporting peace processes in Africa as well as strengthening of existing mechanisms to prevent and solve conflicts.

    19. WE EMPHASIZE the importance of promoting peace in both regions, by bolstering measures to encourage confidence and cooperation in the fields of defence and security, as the best means to warrant stability, security, democracy, human rights and comprehensive development of our peoples.

    20. WE RECALL the need to peacefully solve, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, any problems or disputes which may endanger regional or global stability, as well as the determination to take appropriate and effective measures against any threats to peace and security caused by the proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, as well as the illicit traffic in arms, ammunitions and explosives, under the relevant provisions of the United Nations.

    21. WE COMMIT OURSELVES to continue strengthening dialogue and cooperation for promotion of peace and security between organizations and mechanisms in which we are members of, such as the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, the South-American Defense Council of UNASUR and the Zone of Peace and Cooperation in the South Atlantic (ZPCSA).

    22. WE EMPHASIZE the importance of cooperation in the area of peace consolidation, both through acting within the Peace Building Commission (PBC) of the United Nations, and the Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Policy of the African Union. We commend the work developed by the PBC in Burundi, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau and urge support for both Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Policy of the AU and the PBC.

    23. WE STRESS the importance of the United Nations Program of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects and call upon all States to participate and contribute towards the continued implementation of the above-mentioned Program.

    24. WE CONDEMN the production and use of anti-personnel mines, by any country, as they jeopardize the lives of our peoples, affect their physical and emotional integrity and have a negative impact on the wellbeing and development of communities. The member states reafirm their commitment to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, and invite all States which have not yet done so to adhere to or ratify this Convention.

    25. WE EXPRESS concern over the existence of explosives left behind by the Second World War, especially in the form of landmines and other remnants of war, which continue to cause humanitarian and material damage and also obstruct development processes. In this regard, we call on the countries responsible for planting these landmines and explosives to cooperate with the affected countries, through the provision of maps that show locations of landmines and explosives, as well as the provision of the necessary technical assistance for their complete removal.

    26. WE CONDEMN terrorism in all its manifestations and we reject any linking of terrorism to a specific culture, ethnicity, religion or peoples. We emphasize the importance of combating terrorism via active and efficient international cooperation in the framework of the relevant regional organizations and the United Nations, based on the respect of the objectives and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and in strict conformity with the principles of International law and human rights. We also share the conviction that the recourse to payment of ransom for terrorism should be condemned and criminalised

    27. RECOGNISING the threats and negative consequences caused by piracy which have greatly interrupted maritime and international security, WE UNDERSCORE the need for the international community to deal with the root causes of the piracy problem in territorial and international waters and strongly condemn and discourage payment of all forms of ransom on piracy.

    28. WE SUPPORT the negotiations developed within the framework of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons on the prohibition of production and use of cluster ammunition given the damage they cause to civil populations.

    29. WE REITERATE our deep concern at the use, recruitment, funding, training and transport of mercenaries or any other form of support to mercenaries, in violation of the purposes and principles set forth in the Charter of the United Nations.
    IV. DEMOCRACY, GOVERNANCE, HUMAN RIGHTS AND POLITICAL ISSUES

    30. WE REITERATE that human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent, and that the international community should address itself to its comprehensive defense. We encourage the establishment of cooperation mechanisms among the countries of Africa and South America aimed at ensuring and promoting rights inherent to the individual, protected by International Law, including the right to development.

    31. WE CONDEMN racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, as they deny the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Our principles are based on respect for human rights and fundamental liberties of everybody without drawing a distinction of ethnic origin, colour, gender, religion, political opinions or any other. We commit ourselves to delve into bi-regional cooperation and exchange of practices to fight any and all forms of intolerance, in accordance with the commitments undertaken under the Durban Declaration and Plan of Action.

    32. WE EMPHASIZE the importance of promoting, at the relevant multilateral forums, respect for cultural, ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity, as well as the comprehension of their different cultures among the peoples and nations of the world. We recognize the significance of national and regional peculiarities, as well as different historic and religious heritages within the framework of progressive development of International Law of Human Rights.

    33. WE CALL FOR the strengthening of those national institutions in charge of timely implementing the Declaration on the Right of Indigenous Peoples adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in its Resolution AG/61/295 of September 13, 2007.

    34. WE UNDERLINE the importance of promoting the exchange of experiences in the area of the rights of women, children and youth, as well as the promotion of the rights of the elderly and people with disabilities.

    35. WE REAFFIRM the commitment of the States to full observance and protection of child and youth rights as a priority area of public policies in the fight against poverty and the fostering of health, education and culture, and the protection against all kinds of labour and sexual exploitation in the higher interest of children, with the State, society and family assuming their responsibility of ensuring maximum enjoyment of their fundamental rights.

    36. WE ADVOCATE the right to development, democracy and respect and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples, including isolated indigenous peoples.

    37. WE HIGHLIGHT the importance of fostering an Agenda, within the framework of WIPO, with a view to promote the transfer and dissemination of technology and access to knowledge and education to the benefit of developing countries and countries of less relative development, and the most vulnerable social groups.

    38. WE CALL UPON the international community not to approve unilateral illegal and coercive measures as a means of exerting political, military or economic pressure against any country, in particular against developing countries, according to the Charter of the United Nations.

    39. WE URGE the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Argentine Republic to resume negotiations in order to find, as a matter of urgency, a fair, peaceful and lasting solution to the dispute concerning sovereignty over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and surrounding maritime spaces, in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations and other pertinent regional and international organizations.

    40. WE URGE the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, France, and the Republic of Mauritius to pursue negotiations in order to find, as a matter of urgency, a fair, peaceful and definitive solution to the issues regarding the sovereignty over Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, and Tromelin and the surrounding maritime spaces, in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations and the other pertinent regional and international organizations.

    41. WE URGE the Republic of France and the Union of Comoros to resume negotiations in order to find, as a matter of urgency, a fair, peaceful and definitive solution to the dispute regarding sovereignty over the Island of Mayotte and its surrounding maritime spaces in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations and the other pertinent regional and international organizations.
    V. AGRICULTURE, AGRIBUSINESS, RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND WATER RESOURCES

    42. WE RECOGNISE the pressing need to articulate policies allowing for food security, including access to food, and therefore underscore our determination and strong willingness to conduct joint studies and exchange experiences in the field of food security in order to facilitate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. In this regard, we reject the distorting policies adopted by developed countries, due to the negative impact they have on agricultural production and investment in developing countries and on the exercise of the right to food.

    43. WE RECOGNIZE the importance of water as a natural resource of States that is an essential element for life, with socio-economic and environmental functions. We shall promote the right of our citizens to have access to clean and safe water and sanitation within our respective jurisdictions.

    44. WE REALIZE the need to promote sustainable use of water, and in this regard, we shall promote the exchange of information and best practices between our regions with a view to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

    45. WE REAFFIRM our commitment to the multilateral system as a valid tool to help solve the issue of hunger and poverty. In this regard, we urge developed countries to fulfil their funding commitments, undertaken at the High-Level Conference on World Food Security, held at FAO in June 2008. Further, we highlight our commitment to reinforce the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) as a multilateral forum where all the States can find alternatives to solve the world food insecurity.
    VI. ECONOMY, TRADE, INVESTMENT AND TOURISM

    46. WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT the outcome of the First Conference of Trade Ministers of Africa and South America held on 19 June 2008 in Marrakech, Morocco.

    47. WE RECOGNIZE that the principles of complementarity, cooperation and solidarity contribute to social and economic development, as well as to transparent, non-discriminatory, fair and all-inclusive trade, in accordance with the multilateral rules of trade notwithstanding integration mechanisms and ratifying the need for ethical and responsible practices, taking into account the asymmetries, developmental differences and strategic peculiarities of each country. In this regard we recognize that international trade and commercial, scientific, technological and innovative exchange should be factors that contribute to growth, sustainable development, poverty reduction, and, in some instances, the protection and defence of traditional cultural knowledge, conservation practices and sustainable use of biodiversity, and to the strengthening of the fraternal dialogue among peoples, as well as their sovereign right of peoples to the use of their resources.

    48. WE AGREE that fostering South - South trade and investment contributes to the complementarities of developing economies and to the identification of new opportunities for economic and commercial exchanges. In this regard, we believe that the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP) is a tool in the attainment of these objectives and, therefore, call for a prompt conclusion of the 3rd Round Negotiations of the Generalized System of Trade Preferences that enables the diversification of production relations in accordance with the strategic areas of interest that may be identified by both regions.

    49. WE REAFFIRM the fundamental role of the State in the definition of economic and social policies and as an economic stakeholder in socioeconomic development, taking into account the peculiarities of each country.

    50. WE RECOGNIZE the role of the private sector and other organized social stakeholders, and the importance of productive investment and its commitment to the economic development of our countries, and reiterate the will to foster cooperation to promote that sector in our development agenda in accordance with the interests, priorities and needs of each State.

    51. WE REAFFIRM our commitment to reach a successful conclusion to the Doha Development Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in a fair and balanced manner to developing countries. Likewise we reaffirm the need for a transparent process involving all the members of the WTO, taking into account the needs of developing countries. Similarly, special attention should be given to the need of coordinating the positions of the two regions within the framework of the WTO, so as to promote the interests of developing countries by paying attention, in particular, to the challenges faced by less relatively developed countries.

    52. WE COMMIT OURSELVES to the promotion of tourism as a factor of integration. We also commit ourselves to the promotion of tourism based on community development and absolute respect for our cultural heritage, customs and traditions.

    53. WE RECOGNIZE that the current financial and economic crisis is a structural crisis. We therefore commit ourselves to fostering the changes needed in order to enable the establishment of a new international financial architecture, which must be based on a democratic decisionmaking process, including a balanced participation of all parties concerned and taking into account the views and perspectives of developing countries. We emphasize, likewise, the need to prevent the losses from such crises from being transferred to developing countries through the implementation of various financial safeguard mechanisms. We agree that in order to speed up the establishment of the proposed new international financial architecture, it is necessary to strengthen regional systems through the promotion of supportive financial and monetary institutions based on solidarity, cooperation, endogenous regional development and the formation of more democratic, fair and equitable societies within the framework of respect for national independence and sovereignty.

    54. WE RECOGNIZE the need to move forward in the adoption of financial safeguard measures required to prevent the costs of the international financial crisis, taking into special consideration the conditions and circumstances of the more vulnerable economies. We agree on the need to foster the design of a new international and regional financial architecture in order to achieve the comprehensive development of our peoples.
    VII. COMBATING POVERTY AND HUNGER

    55. WE REAFFIRM our commitment to intensify our efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger, both in rural and urban areas with special attention to most vulnerable peoples, by tackling the root causes that generate them, with a view to fostering societies based on values such as social justice, solidarity, complementarity, equality, social inclusion, citizens´ involvement and respect for human rights and respect for Mother Earth in accordance with the provisions set out in Resolution 63/278 of the United Nations General Assembly. In this regard, WE RECOGNIZE the need to develop rural and urban areas in poverty situation by pursuing their inclusion into national projects.

    56. WE REITERATE the importance of achieving the Development Objectives contained in the Millennium Declaration, and agree to develop and engage in joint efforts in the fight for eradicating poverty and hunger on a worldwide scale, as well as to promote social inclusion. Likewise, we underline the need to uphold the commitment reaffirmed in the Monterrey Consensus in 2002 (United Nations Conference on Financing for Development), whereby industrialized countries are to set aside 0.7% of their GDP to official development assistance (ODA) in favour of developing countries and 0.2% in favour of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
    VIII. INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

    57. WE COMMIT OURSELVES to identifying joint initiatives on the basis of the needs of each bloc for funding and developing projects.

    58. WE RECOGNIZE the Infrastructure Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA), the South-American Infrastructure and Planning Council of UNASUR, the New Partnership for the Development of Africa (NEPAD), and the Short-Term Action Plan (STAP) of the African Union as the foundations for mutual exchange and support in the field of infrastructure.

    59. WE RENEW our commitment to facilitate transit through the territory of transit countries by all means of transport, in accordance with the applicable rules of International Law, to landlocked developing countries, and recognize that their special characteristics deserve an adequate approach to deal with their specific problems.
    IX. ENERGY AND SOLID MINERALS

    60. WE AGREE to consolidate our efforts in order to exchange experiences in terms of development and universal use of energy sources and energy saving by the governments and the peoples of both regions, in particular clean, renewable and alternative energy sources, with a view to extending their sustainable diffusion and utilization, as well as achieving maximum efficiency in their usage, in accordance with the relevant economic, social and environmental aspects, thus contributing to the economic and social transformation of the countries of Africa and South America. Considering the envisaged use of fossil fuels going into the future, both regions will cooperate on matters relating to the sustainable production and use of fossil fuel, particularly oil and gas.

    61. WE COMMIT OURSELVES to enhancing energy-related cooperation between Africa and South America in order to contribute to industrial growth, the development of energy infrastructure, the exchange and transfer of technologies, the reduction of transaction costs and the training of human skills in order to attain the strategic goal of energy security and integration.

    62. WE RECOGNIZE the importance of creating conditions to increase the presence of African and South American companies including the energy and mining sectors in both regions, which would contribute to strengthening South-South trade and investment. We renew our earlier mandate for AFREC and UNASUR to prepare an energy strategy to promote sustainable development, while respecting the sovereign rights to manage and regulate natural resources.

    63. WE REAFFIRM the importance of continuing the studies to diversify the energy matrix in Africa and South America, as well as studies on the potential of other alternative sources of energy.

    64. WE COMMIT OURSELVES to joining efforts with the aim of ensuring the exchange of experiences in the areas of Prospecting, Exploration and Treatment of Mineral Resources, prioritizing local transformation, in a diversified manner, using clean technologies that preserve the environment.

    65. WE COMMIT OURSELVES to implementing joint projects, to be identified, in the areas of energy technologies and minerals.
    X. SOCIAL ISSUES AND SPORTS

    66. WE REAFFIRM sports, physical education and recreation as fundamental elements of transformation in improving the living conditions and physical and mental health of citizens, as well as in the processes of social inclusion and strengthening both individual and collective selfesteem and national identity.

    67. WE SUPPORT the Tunisian initiative on the Proclamation of the year 2010 as the International Year of Youth as well as the holding of a Youth World Congress under the auspices at the United Nations and relevant International Organizations.

    68. WE COMMIT OURSELVES to providing all the necessary support to ensure the success of the Africa Cup of Nations, to be held in Angola in January 2010, the success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in South Africa and the 2014 FIFA World Cup to be held in Brazil, and welcome the candidacy of Rio de Janeiro to host the Olympic Games in 2016.

    69. WE DECIDE to establish sports competitions between Africa and South America and call upon the specialized Federations of both continents to work together in collaboration with all actors in order to organize different tournaments.

    70. WE COMMIT OURSELVES to implementing active policies aimed at generating decent work and implementing the International Labour Organization fundamental conventions for creating conditions of quality employment for the development of our human resources, and to formulating economic policies giving globalization an ethical dimension by placing the person at the centre of public policies.

    71. WE WELCOME the programs approved by many countries to attain the full integration of immigrants into their societies as well as the reunion with their families. In this context, we recognize the important work being developed within the United Nations framework.

    72. WE SHALL JOIN EFFORTS to work on and strengthen the areas of cooperation and integration in the field of health with a view to identifying structural weaknesses and other illness-determining social factors and preventing the high maternal and infant death rates, malnutrition, and improving access to drinking water, as well as fighting the transmission of HIV / AIDS / STDs and their impact on the population, as well as of other poverty-related illnesses such as tuberculosis, malaria, and other epidemics coexisting with non-transmittable diseases, through promotion of national and international initiatives which aim to produce and equitably distribute new vaccines and widen the access to essential medicines, with a view to guaranteeing health as an inalienable right of our peoples and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

    73. WE SHALL TAKE action in order to exchange information and good practices in fighting the risks of A (H1N1) Influenza for the peoples of both regions, particularly for the poorest and those with no ready access to health services. We advocate, jointly, sharing viral strains with pandemic potential, by using the system of the World Health Organization and building an equitable and fair system to share the benefits arising from the use of this genetic material.
    XI. SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICTs)

    74. WE SHALL JOIN EFFORTS to embark on initiatives of cooperation and exchange of experiences aimed at building the scientific, technological and institutional capacities of the STI (science, technology and innovation) national systems and the formulation and implementation of policies aimed at the sustainable development and social progress of both regions, with a view to foster integration and rapprochement of the African and South American scientific communities promoting the generation, transfer and social appropriation of scientific and technical knowledge. In this respect, and in order to promote social inclusion, we commit ourselves to fostering the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), as well as other technologies, with a view to facilitating opportunities of education, health and better living conditions for the population.

    75. WE AFFIRM the importance of joining efforts in order to make our history and current reality known, as well as our cultural diversity and common issues and problems, through the exchange of radio-and televisionbroadcast contents, which enable the initiation of cooperation in the areas of communication and information, and contribute to progressively establishing bi-regional television and radio stations.

    76. WE EMPHASIZE the need for consolidating cooperation between Africa and South America in the fields of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as well as undertaking joint action in order to reduce the digital divide as stipulated in the Tunis Declaration adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society held in 2005, and to promote technological literacy and the development and use of free software.
    XII. EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES

    77. WE REGARD as fundamental the establishment of joint research projects in strategic and priority areas for both regions through permanent exchange programs for students, researchers and teachers, as well as the fostering of networks of teachers, researchers and students between academic institutions, and mechanisms of triangular cooperation and scholarship programs for those projects within the spirit of solidarity and complementarity.

    78. WE ALSO REGARD as important the reinforcement of the bonds existing between the Diplomatic Academies of Africa and South America with a view to promoting mutual knowledge among the new generations of diplomats and the consolidation of new, multidisciplinary professional training.

    79. WE COMMIT OURSELVES to strengthening and deepening supportive cooperation relations among the peoples of Africa and South America in order to recognize our cultural and historic heritage so as to coordinate efforts to guarantee education as a public, human right and universal asset based on the principles of social equality, inclusion and relevance in accordance with the Millennium Development Goals in the field of education.

    80. WE RECOGNIZE the incidence of illiteracy as a factor of social exclusion in the development of our countries. We therefore agree to consolidate efforts, from a perspective of social and gender equality, to contribute to eradicate this scourge through the exchange and the promotion of successful practices in the field of teaching to read and write with a view to reaching the Millennium Development Goals.

    81. WE TAKE NOTE that chewing coca leaves is an ancestral cultural manifestation of the Bolivian people, which must be respected by the international community.

    82. WE UPHOLD the commitment to exchange experts and develop joint research projects on the contribution of the African Diaspora to the culture of the peoples of South America and we support the arrangements being advanced for the 2nd African Union Diaspora Summit, to be held in the near future.

    83. WE CALL for the holding of festivals, meetings and other types of exchanges enabling mutual knowledge and cultural and human enrichment. We congratulate the countries that have implemented initiatives in this regard.

    84. WE REAFFIRM our commitment to advance in the acquisition and transfer of knowledge in the field of cultural heritage. WE ALSO EXPRESS our concern over the illegal export, import and transfer of ownership of cultural property from our countries. WE FINALLY EMPHASIZE the need for the full implementation of the 1970 and 1995 Conventions of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on returning the cultural properties to the countries of origin.
    XIII. ENVIRONMENT

    85. WE UNDERLINE the need to embrace the issue of climate change within the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, in accordance with the principles, norms and commitments set forth in the said international juridical framework. We highlight the relationship between the historical responsibility of developed countries for global warming and the obligation of those countries, as Parties to the Convention, to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases. We underline the need to define, in 2009, more ambitious reduction targets for developed countries for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and, also, of comparable mitigation commitments and actions for all developed countries. Moreover, we agree on the need to continue fostering positions of consensus within the Group of 77 plus China in the process of negotiation of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action, created by the Bali Action Plan.

    86. WE REAFFIRM the need for a strong political commitment of the developed countries based on their historical responsibility, including those countries that did not adhere to the Kyoto Protocol to adopt and comply with their emission reduction commitments. WE OPPOSE any intention of modifying the balance of rights and obligations established in the Kyoto Protocol in respect of the mitigation commitments.

    87. WE REITERATE our support for the Special Climate Change Fund aimed at developing countries, which works for the strengthening of domestic capacities in the face of climate imbalances and disasters. We therefore urge developed countries to make urgent and substantial contributions permitting developing countries to make use of the financial resources needed to take early adaptation actions. We commit ourselves to working towards achieving the outcome agreed upon within the framework of the Bali Action Plan of 2007 at the 15th Conference of the Parties, to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009, and which we hope will enable a full, effective and sustained implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In this regard, we pledge to promote our positions in the said conference.

    88. WE REITERATE our political commitment regarding the implementation of the 10 year Strategic Plan and Framework to foster the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), approved by the 8th Conference of the Parties, at all levels.

    89. WE TAKE NOTE of the national initiative undertaken by Ecuador, called Yasuní-ITT and aimed, among other aspects, at promoting the exploration and development of alternative sources to obtain revenues, reduce the non-sustainable production of natural resources and optimize the conservation of biological diversity.

    90. WE ALSO TAKE NOTE of the project the Great Green Wall of Africa with a view to stop the desert from advancing in the Saharo-Sahelian region.
    XIV. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AND SHARED VIEW ON APPROPRIATE PRACTICES

    91. WE BELIEVE in a new conception of international economic relations fostering actively South-South exchange and based on the principles of transparency, complementarities, cooperation and solidarity, and enabling an adequate distribution of the benefits derived from the exchange of goods and services, in compliance with the norms of the multilateral trade system, supported by new instruments and regional financial institutions and strengthening the comprehensive development of peoples through the utilization of the potentials existing in their national territories.

    92. WE RECOGNIZE and commit ourselves to undertaking efforts to promote sustainable and productive development, sharing best practices in fostering the development of micro and small enterprises and other alternative forms of production, the promotion of micro finances and the training and education of human resources for work enabling to contribute to the well-being of our peoples and to sustainable development as an engine of transformation in the fight against poverty and social exclusion.
    XV. FOLLOW-UP MECHANISM

    93. WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT the Africa-South America Follow-up Mechanism that was established under the Abuja Declaration and urge Member States to give it the necessary support in the fulfilment of its mandate. The Follow-up Committee comprising High-Level Officials shall be responsible for proposing new initiatives and undertaking actions on previously agreed programs and projects, reviewing the progress of their implementation and disseminating information about cooperation arrangements. It shall also follow up on Ministerial and Summit decisions, and submit recommendations to Summits.

    94. WE TAKE NOTE of the proposals contained in the “Nueva Esparta Implementation Plan” as well as the “Implementation Programme” of the ASA Declaration and Plan of Action presented by the South American and African parties, respectively. Both documents are annexed to the current Declaration. Expressing our satisfaction over the inaugural meetings of the eight ASA Work Groups, WE AGREE that the ASA Member States shall meet within six months at the Senior Officials level with the objective of producing a harmonized Implementation Programme that will define the prioritized projects, timeframe for implementation and financial mechanisms, these will then be submitted for approval during the next Ministerial Meeting.

    95. In order to ensure effective implementation of this Declaration and the Implementation Plan, WE AGREE TO REINFORCE the Follow-up Mechanism as follows:
    i. A meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs for implementing actions will be held parallel to the 65th United Nations General Assembly;
    ii. Regular meetings of the various Working Groups will take place at least once a year to ensure the full implementation of the projects they envisaged;
    iii. A meeting will be held with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, as host country of the Second ASA Summit; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the host country of the Third ASA Summit; Brazil and Nigeria, as Regional Coordinators; the Chairperson of the African Union Commission; and Ecuador, as Pro Tempore President of UNASUR in order to evaluate this Bi-Regional Mechanism as well as the execution of the Nueva Esparta Implementation Plan and the Nueva Esparta Programme of Implementation.

    96. WE GLADLY ACCEPT the offer of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to host the Third Africa - South America Summit (ASA) in 2011.

    Sunday, September 27, 2009

    America’s New Frontline – Diplomats or Warriors? (VIDEO)


    Rageh Omaar travels across Africa, investigating the consequences of US involvement in the region. In this first part, he investigates the genesis of Africom, the US military command for Africa which was launched in October 2008, and asks whether Barack Obama can turn US-African relations in a new direction.

    Tuesday, September 22, 2009

    THE WORLD CELEBERATES NKRUMAH'S CENTENARY

    Nana Akyea Mensah

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      >Lincoln Remembers Nkrumah

      Issue date: 9/23/09 Section: News

      On September 21, 2009, Lincoln University held its Kwame Nkruma Centennial in the Ware Center Theater celebrating the 100th birthday of Kwame Nkrumah. Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana and crafter of Pan-Africanism in Africa, is an alumnus of Lincoln University as well as the inspiration for current African Union leaders such as Muammar al-Gaddafi.

      "It was an inspiring program," said Prof. Glenn Burns. "We need to know our proper history."

      Students, faculty and staff began pouring into the Theater at 3:55 pm. By 4:05 there were no empty seats.

      Nkrumah's birthday was adopted as a holiday for all member states of the African Union by the 13th Ordinary Session of the Assembly in Sirte, Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya on July 3, 2009.

      "I want the world to recognize Lincoln University's contribution to the educational experience of Kwame Nkrumah," said Dr. D. Zizwe Poe, an associate professor of history and the organizer of the event.

      The program included six speakers of varying backgrounds. The program featured author and Afrocentrist scholar Molefi Kete Asante, William Kwame Dadson of the economic department, Lincoln University Board of Trustee member Tehema H. Smith, Howard University professor of systems and computer science John Tremble, Lincoln University Lecturer Abena Walker, and Dr. Tukufu Zuberi, a professor of sociology and African American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania who is also a contributor to PBS' The History Detectives series.

      "I'm learning information that I didn't know before," said Jamaar Connor, a junior who is studying Mass Communications. "Everything is new."

      The biographical information of Nkrumah was not the focus of the event. Topics such as The International Network on Appropriate Technology and the plan to focus on technology to empower Africa were presented. African political issues such as youth farming projects, land reclamation, and the issues of western interests across the African continent were also presented in detail.

      "There are so many things in the world that most Americans have no idea about," said Dr. Donald Bradt, a professor of Political science, Bradt said that he believes that a unified Africa presents both challenges and opportunities. "I think the US could serve a growing Africa with education, accounting, and law," he said.

      The student reaction to the presentation was highly positive.

      "I like the fact that they upheld the honor of our brother Nkrumah," said Wayne Vanderpool, senior, of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Nkruma was a member of the Mu chapter of Phi Beta Sigma on Lincoln's campus.

      The events on Monday September 21, 2009 was a part of a series of events designed to honor the life and legacy of Nkrumah "I think it was beneficial, I think we should have more commentary and more topics," said Nicole Young, senior," "This applies to all of us."

      >Namibia: Nkrumah's Centenary to Be Marked Today

      21 September 2009

      THE Pan-African Centre of Namibia (Pacon), in collaboration with the Students' Representative Council of the Polytechnic of Namibia, will hold a public lecture today in honour of the late African revolutionary Kwame Nrumah.

      The lecture starts at the Polytechnic Auditorium at 18h00. Prime Minister Nahas Angula will focus on Pan-Africanism as a philosophy, Ambassador Tuliameni Kalomoh will address the relevance of Nkrumah's ideals to Namibia and to Africa in general, and the Acting High Commissioner of Ghana, Julia Acolatse, will talk about Nkrumah's role in shaping Ghana.

      According to the Vice Chairperson of Pacon, Maureen Hinda-Mbaziira, the 13th Ordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) declared the centenary birthday of its founder and first President of the Republic of Ghana a continental event.

      "Kwame Nkrumah was a revolutionary African figure. He contributed a lot to the liberation of Namibia and the rest of Africa. As Pan-Africans and benefactors of his efforts, we are honouring his memory and celebrating his achievements," she said.

      Kwame Nkrumah became the first prime minister and later president of Ghana. He was born on September 21 1909 at Nkroful in what was then the British-ruled Gold Coast, the son of a goldsmith.

      Trained as a teacher, he went to the United States in 1935 for advanced studies and continued his schooling in England, where he helped organise the Pan-African Congress in 1945.


      He returned to Ghana in 1947 and became general secretary of the newly founded United Gold Coast Convention but split from it in 1949 to form the Convention People's party (CPP).

      After his 'positive action' campaign created disturbances in 1950, Nkrumah was jailed, but when the CPP swept the 1951 elections, he was freed to form a government, and he led the colony to independence as Ghana in 1957.

      A firm believer in African liberation, Nkrumah pursued a radical pan-African policy, playing a key role in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963. As head of government, he was less successful, however, and as time passed he was accused of forming a dictatorship. In 1964 he formed a one-party state, with himself as president for life.


      AND THEN AT HARLEM, NEW YORKE:

      Last night, I attended an event celebrating the life of Dr. Nkrumah. Located at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in the heart of Harlem, the event was packed with speakers such as Amiri Baraka, Dr. Leonard Jeffries, Dr. Molefi Asante and Dr. Ama Mazama. New York State Sen. Bill Perkins was also in attendance, presenting a copy of New York State Resolution 3068 to recognize the 100th birthday of the late Nkrumah to Minister-Counselor Ebenezer Appreku and members of the National Council of Ghanaian Association. More...

      Monday, September 21, 2009

      Forget Conventional 401(k)s; Think Goat Cheese and Fennel



      By STEPHANIE SIMON

      SANTA FE, N.M. -- Woody Tasch wants to rewrite the gospel of financial growth.

      A former venture capitalist, Mr. Tasch now travels the country warning that money moves too fast. Billions zip through global markets each day, bundled into financial packages so complex that it is hard to know what you own.

      His antidote: A fundamental shift in our attitude toward investing. Taking a page from the Slow Food movement, which calls on consumers to take the time to savor home-cooked meals, Mr. Tasch dubbed his philosophy Slow Money.
      Slow Cheese

      Steven St. John for The Wall Street Journal

      Ed Lobaugh fed his herd of 65 Nubian goats Thursday morning at the Old Windmill Dairy.

      * More photos and interactive graphics

      The crux of the movement is persuading investors to put some of their assets into businesses they can see, smell and even taste -- to measure growth not by the flashing numbers on a stock ticker, but by the slow ripening of a tomato.

      That isn't dramatic. But Mr. Tasch argues that investing in sustainable local agriculture will yield an enviable return -- just not the type of return many are used to.


      Nana Akyea Mensah

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        Thursday, September 17, 2009

        Inside The Great American Bubble Machine

        Matt Taibbi on how Goldman Sachs has engineered every major market manipulation since the Great Depression

        MATT TAIBBIPosted Jul 02, 2009 8:38 AM


        In Rolling Stone Issue 1082-83, Matt Taibbi takes on "the Wall Street Bubble Mafia" — investment bank Goldman Sachs (click here to read the whole story). The piece has generated controversy, with Goldman Sachs firing back that Taibbi's piece is "an hysterical compilation of conspiracy theories" and a spokesman adding, "We reject the assertion that we are inflators of bubbles and profiteers in busts, and we are painfully conscious of the importance in being a force for good." Taibbi shot back: "Goldman has its alumni pushing its views from the pulpit of the U.S. Treasury, the NYSE, the World Bank, and numerous other important posts; it also has former players fronting major TV shows. They have the ear of the president if they want it." Here, now, are excerpts from Matt Taibbi's piece and video of Taibbi exploring the key issues.

        Matt Taibbi On Goldman Sachs' Big Scam


        From Matt Taibbi's "The Great American Bubble Machine" in Rolling Stone Issue 1082-83.

        The first thing you need to know about Goldman Sachs is that it's everywhere. The world's most powerful investment bank is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.

        Any attempt to construct a narrative around all the former Goldmanites in influential positions quickly becomes an absurd and pointless exercise, like trying to make a list of everything. What you need to know is the big picture: If America is circling the drain, Goldman Sachs has found a way to be that drain — an extremely unfortunate loophole in the system of Western democratic capitalism, which never foresaw that in a society governed passively by free markets and free elections, organized greed always defeats disorganized democracy.

        They achieve this using the same playbook over and over again. The formula is relatively simple: Goldman positions itself in the middle of a speculative bubble, selling investments they know are crap. Then they hoover up vast sums from the middle and lower floors of society with the aid of a crippled and corrupt state that allows it to rewrite the rules in exchange for the relative pennies the bank throws at political patronage. Finally, when it all goes bust, leaving millions of ordinary citizens broke and starving, they begin the entire process over again, riding in to rescue us all by lending us back our own money at interest, selling themselves as men above greed, just a bunch of really smart guys keeping the wheels greased. They've been pulling this same stunt over and over since the 1920s — and now they're preparing to do it again, creating what may be the biggest and most audacious bubble yet.

        See Taibbi discuss Goldman Sachs' big scam.

        NEXT: Goldman Sachs' Role in the Housing and Internet Busts



        The Money Masters - How International Bankers Gained Control of America





        3:35:19 - 2 years ago
        Also watch FIREWALL: (http://newsbrowser.org/firewall/) "The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching plan, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole...Their secret is that they have annexed from governments, monarchies, and republics the power to create the world's money..." THE MONEY MASTERS is a 3 1/2 hour non-fiction, historical documentary that traces the origins of the political power structure that rules our nation and the world today. The modern political power structure has its roots in the hidden manipulation and accumulation of gold and other forms of money. The development of fractional reserve banking practices in the 17th century brought to a cunning sophistication the secret techniques initially used by goldsmiths fraudulently to accumulate wealth. With the formation of the privately-owned Bank of England in 1694, the yoke of economic slavery to a privately-owned "central" bank was first forced upon the backs of an entire nation, not removed but only made heavier with the passing of the three centuries to our day. Nation after nation, including America, has fallen prey to this cabal of international central bankers. Segments: The Problem; The Money Changers; Roman Empire; The Goldsmiths of Medieval England; Tally Sticks; The Bank of England; The Rise of the Rothschilds; The American Revolution; The Bank of North America; The Constitutional Convention; First Bank of the U.S.; Napoleon's Rise to Power; Death of the First Bank of the U.S. / War of 1812; Waterloo; Second Bank of the U.S.; Andrew Jackson; Fort Knox; World Central Bank; Loose Change 911 truth police state globalists NWO New World Order Federal Reserve Alex Jones Aaron Russo America From Freedom To Fascism zionist IMF BIS John Perkins 911 911 Globalism bilderberg Rothschild Rockefeller Schiff Warburg illuminati bohemian grove idi amin freemason Also recommended: "Firewall: In Defense of Nation State" http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=8415519765816415310 Video news on "Federal Reserve": http://newstree.org/search.jsp?query=Federal+Reserve&hp=10&s=Video&vx=1 Also watch FIREWALL: (http://newsbrowser.org/firewall/) "The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching plan, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole...Their secret is that they have annexed from governments, monarchies, and republics the power to create the world's money..." THE MONEY MASTERS is a 3 1/2 hour non-fiction, historical documentary that traces the origins of the political power structure that rules our nation and the world today. The modern political power structure has its roots in the hidden manipulation and accumulation of gold and other forms of money. The development of fractional reserve banking practices in the 17th century brought to a cunning sophistication the secret techniques initially used by goldsmiths fraudulently to accumulate wealth. With the formation of the privately-owned Bank of England in 1694, the yoke of economic slavery t...all »

        Click here to read Matt Taibbi's entire piece, "The Great American Bubble Machine."

        Wednesday, September 16, 2009

        Sodom And Gomorrah Versus A Fencepost Turtle!

        by Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro

        A rejoinder to: "Sodom And Gommorah – Our Collective Shame", by Appiah-Danquah Kufuor, Ghanaweb, Feature Article of Wednesday, 16 September 2009.

        I was engaged with my friend Tunk in a conversation over Sodom and Gomorrah, under my article "Kwsesi Pratt is no Mystery" Ghanaweb, Feature Article of Tuesday, 15 September 2009:

        Tunkumuruu adopted the position that what Mr Pratt had done on Vibe FM amounted to "malicious propaganda" against the Mayor of Accra, Mr. Alfred Vanderpuije, because Kwesi is saying: "You don't throw 55,000 people out of their settlement without thinking about the social consequences and planning for them."!


        Here is the relevant report he quoted:

        Mayor, Minister At War Over Sodom And Gomorrah
        By Daily Guide
        Mon, 14 Sep 2009 | Print | E-Mail | PDF | Graphics Version
        Regional News


        Alfred Vanderpuije and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
        A silent war appears to be raging over Accra's most notorious slum; Sodom and Gomorrah, as opposing signals are being sent to Ghanaians over the fate of the location by officialdom.

        Even before the bulldozers move in, the Deputy Minister of Information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has suggested that the slum would remain untouched, in opposition to the position of the Mayor of Accra, Alfred Vanderpuije.

        Kwesi Pratt Jnr. was reported to have condemned the planned movement when he said that the decision by the Mayor to demolish the slum was an aberration, saying that he was out of tune with reality.

        Kwesi questioned the rationale behind the appointment of Mr. Vanderpuije as Accra Mayor, pointing out that whoever appointed him had done a great disservice to Ghana. “Where is this man coming from? Who appointed him as Mayor,” Mr. Pratt yelled on Vibe FM on Thursday night."


        I checked with Kwesi yesterday and finally replied to my friend Tunkumuruu:


        "My friend, I hope you did not find the joke offensive! There is a minimum of standards even in decorum when the fate of 55,000 poor Ghanaians are at stake!


        I just got a quote from Kwesi on this matter. I have not been in touch for some time and I did not want to discuss this article before publication for obvious reasons. I have not even had the time to ask him if he had seen and read the article, but I sent an SMS for his quote on the Sodom and Gomorrah issue and here is his reply:


        "My position on Sodom and Gomorrah is simple. You don't throw 55,000 people out of their settlement without thinking about the social consequences and planning for them. Very best wishes - kwesi"

        Sender: Kwesi Pratt, Jnr.


        My own answer to that was:


        If Kwesi is questioning the guy like that then he is probably a "fencepost turtle". I received an e-mail once that explained to me what a "fencepost title" was.

        It was about Kufour at the G8 meeting but it applies to many incompetent people as well!

        “While stitching up the hand of an 80-year-old farmer, who got cut while
        fencing on his property, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to President Kufour at a G8 meeting.

        “Well, ya know,” drawled the farmer, “this Kufour fella at the G8 is what they call a fencepost turtle..”

        Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a fencepost turtle was.

        The old farmer said, “When you’re driving along a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s called a fencepost turtle.”

        The old farmer saw a puzzled look on the doctor’s face, so he continued to explain,

        “You know he didn’t get up there by himself, he definitely doesn’t belong up there, he doesn’t know what to do while he is up there, and you just gotta wonder what kind of fool put him up there in the first place!"

        I think Kwesi Pratt, Jnr., is asking the right question! There are people like that!


        I am very happy that for once, I am writing a rejoinder, not to attack the writer but to praise him! Particularly the appeal to Ghanaians to put themselves in the shoes of Ama on whose haed lurks a fencepost turtle!

        "If you were a young girl (Ama) growing up in an isolated village, without any basic infrastructure, no education, no job, no t a glimpse of any life-chances – what are your options? You may end up in one of the slums of Accra, hoping against all hope that your fortunes may change. But will it change?"
        --

        Nana Akyea Mensah
        http://nanaakyeamensah.blogspot.com/

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        * Kwesi Pratt is no Mystery! By Nana Akyea Mensah,
        * African Unity needs tender loving care! Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro http://nanaakyeamensah.blogspot.com/ 3 days ago
        * Take that Dick! http://bit.ly/3Qnj4c 8 days ago
        * Nkrumah and Pan-Africanism http://sfgacc.com/node/81 9 days ago
        * Climate change funding talks stall at G20 http://bit.ly/2HdO2Z 10 days ago

        Sunday, September 13, 2009

        KWESI PRATT, JNR. IS NO MYSTERY!

        A rejoinder to: “Demystifying” “Hon.” Kwesi Pratt, by Yaw Opare-Asamoa, Feature Article of Sunday, 13 September 2009.

        By:
        Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro

        "So is Kwesi Pratt a traitor as Alhaji Bature wants us to believe? Maybe or maybe not, depending on where you stand... Let’s just say that the evidence used against Kwame Pianim, many years ago, was not manufactured... There was this other journalist who went into ‘exile’, supposedly, in a neighbouring country. He was later to come home and be part of the then ‘newly-formed’ NDC. High-level intelligence reports indicate that he played the role of a ‘mole’ for the PNDC. He relayed vital information from Ghanaian ‘dissidents’ in exile back to the PNDC government. Remember Halidu Giwa and his failed attempted coup?...

        Years ago, the country was the ‘loser’ when the much anticipated confrontation between Kwesi Pratt and Kwaku Baako was called off at the last minute. I do not know which of them balked away but a lot would have been revealed from that encounter. Revelations that would have shocked many in the country. Kwesi Pratt talks like a socialist but does he back his words with deeds? Does his lifestyle match his ‘rhetoric’? He has successfully positioned himself as a ‘defender’ of the masses but is that really the case?"

        Yaw Opare-Asamoa, “Demystifying” “Hon.” Kwesi Pratt, Feature Article of Sunday, 13 September 2009.

        COMMENT:

        "Years ago, the country was the ‘loser’ when the much anticipated confrontation between Kwesi Pratt and Kwaku Baako was called off at the last minute." "Those who know what really and truly happened owe it to the next generation to ‘release’ the information. Ghanaians need to know the truth of what has happened in this country in order to avoid the mistakes of the past and plan for a better future." "I am not ready to drop names here but I know Kwesi Pratt himself knows what the truth is regarding this matter. Let’s just say that the evidence used against Kwame Pianim, many years ago, was not manufactured." - Yaw Opare-Asamoa, “Demystifying” “Hon.” Kwesi Pratt, Feature Article of Sunday, 13 September 2009.

        DON'T GHANAIANS NEED TO KNOW THIS FROM YOU, MR. YAW OPARE-ASAMOA?

        WHY DON'T YOU DROP THE NAMES HERE?

        IF IT IS BETWEEN ONLY YOU AND KWESI WHY ARE YOU DOING ON GHANAWEB?

        One thing I like about contemporary history is that there are living witnesses to the stories WE TELL. Secondly, the monopolization of the truth by any one faction is virtually impossible. Neither can the obvious be mystified by political vultures like the author of the silly article in question, particularly, in this case involving no less a person than Mr. Kwesi Pratt, Jnr.

        Every honest historian knows that history is always a point of view. That is why the real historians begin their accounts with "a history" of say, the Gold Coast, or the slave trade or the pyramids etc. The non historians are noticeable with their tittles "The History of ..."

        Other non-historians are subtle. They give no historical accounts at all. The just do neocolonialist propaganda by desperately trying to look objective, whilst all the time aiming to do maximum damage to the target without ever suggesting any material fact that would put him in trouble with a court of law, because in order to substatiate the allegations he may have to manufacture lies that he himself can not defend in a court of law.

        Thus for me the reason why Yaw Opare-Asamoa is "not ready to drop names here" is obvious: the author of the forgery stands to face serious consequences if found out, and since the only way to nail Kwesi is to come out with facts and statements that make full meaning, Mr. Yaw Opare-Asamoa "does not want to say the important something", even though he himself pleads for information, he is not ready to release what he has on his chest! "Those who know what really and truly happened owe it to the next generation to ‘release’ the information. Ghanaians need to know the truth of what has happened in this country in order to avoid the mistakes of the past and plan for a better future." What a clown!

        " I am not ready to drop names here but I know Kwesi Pratt himself knows what the truth is regarding this matter. Let’s just say that the evidence used against Kwame Pianim, many years ago, was not manufactured. It had to have come from somewhere and I believe someday, we will all have the privilege of knowing where."

        Meanwhile the same character who claims to have the truth appeals to Ghanaians to come forth with it:

        "Ghanaians need to know the truth of what has happened in this country in order to avoid the mistakes of the past and plan for a better future. Years ago, the country was the ‘loser’ when the much anticipated confrontation between Kwesi Pratt and Kwaku Baako was called off at the last minute. I do not know which of them balked away but a lot would have been revealed from that encounter. Revelations that would have shocked many in the country. Kwesi Pratt talks like a socialist but does he back his words with deeds? Does his lifestyle match his ‘rhetoric’? He has successfully positioned himself as a ‘defender’ of the masses but is that really the case?"

        Once again, I remember what was going on. It was at a time Freddie Blay still had some semblance of dignity and respectability. No one knew he was prepared to sell his own mother for power yet. He had not said that then. Of course, it was the time he was the Speaker of Parliament. It was at the crucial time that the NPP desperately wanted the CPP in the pocket as a banker against an effective NDC challenge. Kweku Baako was in the plot. Freddie Blay was in it. Paa Kwesi Ndoum too was part of it, together with Kofi Coomson, Kwasi Agbley.

        To carry this through with the approval of Kwesi Pratt, Jnr., as the Publicity Officer of the CPP is just like expecting Mrs. Konadu Agyemang Rawlings to vote for Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo, especially after the Akyem dwarf intensified his teasing of her husband with the "Yor ke Gari" "problem". No way! Over his or her dead body, as the case may be, for I am sure neither would cede!

        Every one knows who killed Kwame Adjimah. It was Warrant Officer Class One, Joseph Kwabena Adjei Boadi, former Member of the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). Kwesi Pratt, Jnr. published these events as long as 1992. Around the same time, I was shocked that Adjei Boadi who would sue for defamation involving 250.000 cedis would did nothing to defend himself all those years! On the contrary I saw him once greeting Kwesi politely at a funeral. The man who never stopped accusing him of murder!

        When it suited them, it was evidently clear that Adjei Boadi would have an axe or two to grind with Kwesi for pestering his life with the murder of Kwame Adjimah. Like a Hollywood movie, Adjei Boadi, a notorious murderer accuses an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, ace human rights activist of international repute, of an involvement in his nefarious activities and you want to take a known and culpable murderer's word against Kwesi? This only bears testimony to the nature of some of the politicians we have in Ghana today. The disgraceful manner people who were vying for public office decided to base their campaign strangely on lies and how to bring down the man they all saw as their OBSTACLE NUMBER ONE.

        In the early days of 2001, just after the NPP victory, Kofi Coomson, who was the secretly plotting to be an NPP parliamentary candidate, attacked Kwesi Pratt in "a ferocious debate" on radio over Dr Kwesi Nduom. Reports said "The debate later turned nasty off air when Coomson challenged Kwesi, calling him a traitor and revealed that he knew that he grassed on Kweku Baako, Kwasi Agbley and Freddie Blay, all three very close personal friends of both Kofi Coomson and Pratt."

        The Chronicle, which Kofi Coomson founded featured an article which stated "Since the stunning revelation by the former PNDC hatchet man, WOI Adjei Boadi, at the ongoing NRC sittings, that Kwesi Pratt operated as a double agent who caused the arrest of his friend, Kweku Baako, and but for his timely intervention, Kweku Baako would have summarily been executed, the question of the credibility of the named parties involved has agitated the minds of many observers of the unfolding drama."

        A lot of water has passed under the bridge since these allegations. Ndoum failed to become President, Kofi Coomson could not even go past the NPP primaries. and Kweku Baako is now well known for being an absolute opportunist. All those who tried to discredit Kwesi Pratt, Jnr. have been discredited. This attempt to hint at discredited facts without stating them clearly is no attempt to enlighten the public but to throw dust into their vigilant eyes!

        I am challenging the writer of these stupid insinuations in the name of public interest to substantiate the allegations or else withdraw them. If we have any sense of decency, before this man dies, Mr. Kwesi Pratt, Jnr. must be credited as one of the most important architects of the democratic dispensation that we are all enjoying today under the Fourth Republic of Ghana. It was Akoto Ampaw and Kwesi Pratt, Jnr who following the mandates of the KNRG, NDM and URF went to see Professor Adu Boahene to discuss the formation of the Movement for Freedom and Justice in order to form a Kwame Nkrumah-Busia-Danquah coalition across the political spectrum, against the dictatorship of the PNDC!

        But even if History is a matter of point of view, no matter where you are standing, no one individual from the people now attacking Kwesi as if there is no tomorrow can claim half of what people like Kwesi Pratt, Jnr. have personally done to bring us all where we are today. Nana Akufo Addo publicly acknowledged this role and mentioned Kwesi by name,at the press conference announcing his candiature for the presidency. Rawlings has already acknowledged this fact. President Kufour did. And so has President Atta-Mills!

        I must be able to properly honour and show respect to those in the NPP who gave the call from Nkrumahists like Kwesi, a positive response, particularly Mr. Ray Kakraba Quarshie, and the late Mr. Kwesi Lamptey. I also know what happened when people like B. J. da Rocha were approached, and why apart from Adu Boahene none of the NPP presidential aspirants wanted to work directly with the MFJ and preferred not to sit in a meeting to save Ghana from the military dictatorship because it was chaired by an internal political rival!

        Professor Adu Boahene was the second Busia-Danquah person to join the MFJ but he did not join without conditions. His only condition was that he would never join it if he was not made the chairman of the new movement! Kwesi's reaction was very funny. "Take it, we give it to you!" He thought he had just made a breakthrough! Being the Chairman was the thought farthest from his mind. His was complete dedication, not hunting for posts like some people from the party with a thousand and one presidential aspirants.

        Any one who says that the overthrow of the PNDC was the work of just one individual must belong to bedlam. In the final analysis it is the collective efforts of all Ghanaians occasioned by increasing international pressure to stop bullying the population and allow government by universal suffrage that did the trick.

        Yet history would not be complete if we forget the self-sacrifices and courage of men like Kwesi Pratt in those crucial moments. People would not even dare compare Rawlings with Kwesi Pratt, Jnr. He has no blood on his hands to begin with, whilst Jerry Rawlings needs to account for the whereabouts of 246 Ghanaians who disappeared or were extra-judicially murdered under his military junta.

        I have always known that truth never hides. After the 1966 CIA-inspired coup d'etat, we were all here when the use of the name, photo and image was banned and possession of them was made a criminal offence by those who claim to be following a tradition that promotes democracy and freedom of speech. Desîte the bombs, the coups, the bannings today, we have the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, and next week on the 21st of September, 2009, Ghana and the rest of Africa shall be observing a special national holiday in his honour of the cetenary anniversary of his BIRTHDAY.

        To the chagrin of his traducers Nkrumah is being taught to a new generation of Ghanaians in eloquent and practical ways. One such self-sacrificing apostle of the Osagyefo is the fearless Comrade Kwesi Pratt, Jnr. The one thing some people can not stand about Kwesi Pratt, Jnr., is the kind of things he says about Kwame Nkrumah:

        "Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was not just the first President of Ghana but a very extraordinary man whose life and works contributed significantly to changing the world." He recently wrote, "He grew from a little village boy in Nkroful in the Western Region of Ghana to a world leader fully devoted to the struggle to free all black people from all forms of racism.

        He was also against everything which kept people irrespective of their colour in conditions of slavery. He opposed oppression and exploitation in all its forms.

        Many historians including Basil Davidson and F. K. Buah credit Nkrumah with the leadership of the struggle which led to granting independence to many African countries under various forms of colonialism. Indeed Nkrumah is placed in the same category as Einstein, Karl Marx, V. I. Lenin, Toussant L'Ouverture and Mahatma Gandhi whose ideas and actions helped to make the world a better place."

        Certainly not the kind of language that those Busia-Danquah elements that the CIA referred to as "pathetically pro-Western" would take kindly to!

        For the economy of time, and without affecting simplicity at the cost of accuracy, I want to launch an open challenge to the senseless attempts to undermine the integrity of one of easily the cream of the cream of Ghanaians who toiled day, and deep into the night, woke up with insufficient sleep in the eyes to go to demonstrations, tired before it begins because he was constantly a centre of action!

        If today, Ghanaians are enjoying the praises being heaped on us by the international community and expecting to reap the fruits of peace, political stability, and God-willing economic prosperity with our soon to be out-doored credentials as an "Oil exporting country", in dignity and in peace, it is squarely thanks to the yeoman and gargantuan efforts by people like Mr. Kwesi Pratt, Jnr.

        The recruitment of the NPP leadership into the MFJ must not be under-estimated, because like the open letter of Dr. Hilla Liman that broke the culture of silence, the formation of the MFJ is what marked the begining of the end of the PNDC dictatorship. It was an initiative between the NDM and the KNRG. The URF and the AYC joined later. The AYC pulled out as they refused the admission of Adu Boahene on the basis of chairman. They would have preferred one of the original brains to head. Translated into everyday language, it means Nkrumahist because all the founding groups were Nkrumahist groups.

        The attempts to smear Kwesi, ridding on the waves of the current uproar shall not work. And no one can deny the noble role he has played and continues to play in our nation's history. Certainly Kwesi alone did not make everything happen, but Kwesi was certainly a medium when he was sent by his colleagues to see Adu Boahene about the MFJ. Because Kwesi readily agreed with him to chair the movement the MFJ was able to put to sleep the Nkrumahist tag and assumed a truely national character. Because Johnny Hansen was the Vice Chairman, Kwesi Pratt, Jnr as Secretary, it was also not a purely Busia-Danquah affair. The fact that Prof. Adu Boahene himself testified several times that this unity was thanks to a great extend the personal chemistry (I'm sorry, Kwesi, but for the lack of a better word!) was fundamental in creating the united front. The trials of Kwesi and Adu Boahene was also another way of looking at the sights and sounds of the heroes of the 4th republic.

        The MFJ was the first national political opposition to the PNDC. It was the first national political front to ask for the 4th Republic. It became the midwife that saw the birth of the 4th republic. The chairman of this movement was recruited by Kwesi Pratt, Jnr.

        Now, Mr. Yaw Opare-Asamoa, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE IMPORT OF WHAT YOU HAVE JUST READ?

        One comment made under the article is worthy of everyone' notice;

        "It is obvious to any discerning reader that the author is someone who rates Kwaku Baaku over and above Kwesi Pratt. However, the evidence on the ground proves the contrary. Both of them say they are Nkrumaist but whilst Pratt will defend Nkrumaism at any cost, Baako will defend Nkrumaism as long as it will be convenient or expedient to do so. Thus when President Kuffour tried to woo both of them in 2001, it did not take long for Pratt to fall out with Kuffuor because of Kuffuor's anti-Nkrumah rhetoric and acts but Baako stuck to Kuffuor and almost became the propaganda secretary of the NPP on National T.V. seeing nothing wrong with anything done by the Kuffuor Government since the largess of Kuffuor was too irresistible for Baako. And no one should attribute this prostitute behaviour of Baako to his personal hatred for the NDC because the reasons adduced by him for hating the NDC are equally applicable to Pratt - both were imprisoned by Rawlings and badly treated by the PNDC government. However, Pratt has clearly risen above these personal feelings and considerations whilst Baako uses them conveniently to his own ends. With this irrefutable evidence, I don't need any nasty and uncivilised confrontation between these two old journalists to be able to tell which of them has integrity or true character. The good old people say true character cannot be hidden for long. Please forget what they each did in the past for people can make mistakes and can change over time so concentrate on what and who they are today!!!" - J. P. TERIWAJAH, THIS ARTICLE LACKS LOGIC, Comment, 2009-09-13 12:59:39 on “Demystifying” “Hon.” Kwesi Pratt, Ghanaweb, Feature Article of Sunday, 13 September 2009.

        In other words, according to Calculus, at 2009-0913 11: 55:01, and I am sure he has not changed his mind, Yaw Opare Asamoah article was simply, BALDERDASH!
        --

        Nana Akyea Mensah

        follow me on Twitter;
        http://twitter.com/TheOdikro

        e-mail: nanakyeamensah@gmail.com
        Blog: http://nanaakyeamensah.blogspot.com/

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        The Money Masters - How International Bankers Gained Control of America





        3:35:19 - 2 years ago
        Also watch FIREWALL: (http://newsbrowser.org/firewall/) "The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching plan, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole...Their secret is that they have annexed from governments, monarchies, and republics the power to create the world's money..." THE MONEY MASTERS is a 3 1/2 hour non-fiction, historical documentary that traces the origins of the political power structure that rules our nation and the world today. The modern political power structure has its roots in the hidden manipulation and accumulation of gold and other forms of money. The development of fractional reserve banking practices in the 17th century brought to a cunning sophistication the secret techniques initially used by goldsmiths fraudulently to accumulate wealth. With the formation of the privately-owned Bank of England in 1694, the yoke of economic slavery to a privately-owned "central" bank was first forced upon the backs of an entire nation, not removed but only made heavier with the passing of the three centuries to our day. Nation after nation, including America, has fallen prey to this cabal of international central bankers. Segments: The Problem; The Money Changers; Roman Empire; The Goldsmiths of Medieval England; Tally Sticks; The Bank of England; The Rise of the Rothschilds; The American Revolution; The Bank of North America; The Constitutional Convention; First Bank of the U.S.; Napoleon's Rise to Power; Death of the First Bank of the U.S. / War of 1812; Waterloo; Second Bank of the U.S.; Andrew Jackson; Fort Knox; World Central Bank; Loose Change 911 truth police state globalists NWO New World Order Federal Reserve Alex Jones Aaron Russo America From Freedom To Fascism zionist IMF BIS John Perkins 911 911 Globalism bilderberg Rothschild Rockefeller Schiff Warburg illuminati bohemian grove idi amin freemason Also recommended: "Firewall: In Defense of Nation State" http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=8415519765816415310 Video news on "Federal Reserve": http://newstree.org/search.jsp?query=Federal+Reserve&hp=10&s=Video&vx=1 Also watch FIREWALL: (http://newsbrowser.org/firewall/) "The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching plan, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole...Their secret is that they have annexed from governments, monarchies, and republics the power to create the world's money..." THE MONEY MASTERS is a 3 1/2 hour non-fiction, historical documentary that traces the origins of the political power structure that rules our nation and the world today. The modern political power structure has its roots in the hidden manipulation and accumulation of gold and other forms of money. The development of fractional reserve banking practices in the 17th century brought to a cunning sophistication the secret techniques initially used by goldsmiths fraudulently to accumulate wealth. With the formation of the privately-owned Bank of England in 1694, the yoke of economic slavery t...all »

        Saturday, September 12, 2009

        African Unity needs tender loving care. A reaction to N. K. W - HM PRISONS, UK

        Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro


        I was on the Ghanaweb forum doing regular interactions with people who also feel highly concerned about what is going on between our two sister nations, Ghana and Nigeria, (in alphabetical order!). I had spent all my ten posts so I did not have the chance to post a rather painstaking work! Well, I post it here below because it helps to raise the debate to a new level.


        A Ghanaian Forum On How to Stop the Ghana Bashing





        AKYEA MENSAH, HOW STUPID???

        N. K. W - HM PRISONS, UK 09-11 07:36



        GHANAIAN PRISONER, UK
        HARD-TALK, UK 09-11 14:04


        IT MUST BE THE PRISON'S FOOD!
        Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro. 09-11 14:42


        Akyeaa Mensah u make me laugh
        N. K. W - HM PRISONS, UK 09-11 19:13


        This person needs to be encouraged not attacked. He is improving! He used to make worse statements, that is why sometimes you give the benefit of the doubt. We do not all express ourselves very well in English and sometimes we can make killer-mistakes without intending to. If we make such attacks systematic and people do not even understand why they are under attack, we might run the risk of rather than being an inclusive forum we shall become exclusive. I think the language is bad but like Socrates, that was not his intention.

        I also think I do owe you an apology specifically as pertains to the issue of why the Nigerian ministers quoted were feeling that irksome. I think this is important because it is a crucial part of the positive solution we would all want to see to come out of this diplomatic impasse between the two nations. I reacted to your post without reading everything you had written first. I do apologize for the prejudice, and obviously regret it! My only excuse is that I wanted to evaluate all the numerous comments in the forum and see how the prospects are for a peaceful co-existence between the two federal states of Africa. After reading the first two sentences, I thought I had a pretty idea of where you were coming from because I had already read some long and insufferable passages from you being currently quoted in Nigerian Forums.

        I shall quote extensively to support my point and to let you know that in this information age, the seeds of discord we sew each day do germinate and grow! Are you proud of this:


        "Is There Rivalry Between Nigeria And Ghana?


        Nairaland Forum« on: September 09, 2009, 10:37 PM »

        I was on Ghanaian forum [ghanaweb.com] with forum users commenting on 'a letter from the Ghana High Commission in Nigeria to a Nigerian newspaper, appealing to Nigerian government officials to refrain from spreading falsehood about '.
        I have been to Ghana several times. I have had several Ghanaian friends. I was a member of a Ghanaian church in London sometime in the past. I thought Ghanaian people are very warm and friendly. I also thought there was some mutual respect between Nigerians and Ghanaians. I was very shocked about some of the comments made about Nigeria on the forum. Most of those comments were so bad that they are unprintable. I have quoted some of the comments at the end of this post.
        My questions are:
        1. Are these comments representative of the generally held impressions about Nigerians by Ghanaians all over the world or just the opinion of a minority?
        2. Is there some kind of rivalry between Nigerians and Ghanaians?
        3. If there is rivalry, is such rivalry healthy?

        Quote
        Author: Okyeame Sogbladzah
        Date: 2009-09-09 05:59:00
        na so so jealousy go kill them!
        nigeria @ a glance;
        dirty eba-eting yorubas,
        aproka egusi-soup-eating igbos,
        tight & juicy female orifice akwa iboms,
        illiterate buga buga militant hausas,
        419 infested govt officials,
        so so oil, no fuel,
        yes o yes nigeria, na we own; we must to do better for am!

        Quote
        Author: Pronto
        Date: 2009-09-09 04:59:16
        If such stupid people are ministers in Nigeria, how do you expect the country to progress!!! Lots of gas and NO ELECTRICITY!! NO, they are not jealous becos of Obama, But because we lead better and civilised life !!!!!!!!!!

        Quote
        Author: N. K. W - HM PRISONS, UK
        Date: 2009-09-09 09:23:10
        I could not just hide my anger and further guffaw when a PIG calling himself HARD-TALK uk and his bunch of useless Morons and HIV infested minsiters of state sling mud at Ghanaians. Now check these facts:
        1) It is not true that Wole Soyinka is the first African Laureate to recieve a NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE. The first African to recieve a NOBEL PEACE Prize in Literature was ALBERT LUTULI of South Africa in 1960, at a timne Soyinka DID NOT HAVE PANTS under HIS TROUSERS. ASSS HOLE!!!! U see u are not even schooled enough to attract commonse sense in your dealings.
        2) Which Africa country emits bad odour even if the whole Atlantic Ocean is turned into a mouth wash for them and will still emit bad odour from ther MOUTHS?
        Answer - NIGERIANS
        3)Which is the only country in Africa to have the FBI and CIA storm their country to arrest and investigate Cyber CRIMES and money laundering as well as COCAINE TRAFICKING?
        Answer: NIGERIA
        4)Which African Country has the HIGHEST number of foreign Prisoners in the UK?
        Answer: Nigeria. 932, with 409 of them hardened CRIMINALS and out of this number 119 use Ghanaian PASSPORTS, who have been found not even having a relative of them being a Ghanaian. 197 of these use South African Passports and 28 have UK Nationality status, thus those with British Passports.
        5) Which Africa country have the highest number of women in British jails?
        Answer: NIGERIANS
        45 in HM Holloway Prisons, 23 in HM Belmarsh Prisons, with 31 of the total number, using Ghanaian passports parading as Ghanaians, who cannot even speak a single Ghanaian Language. They have Nigerian passports but use Ghanaian passports to travel only to Ghana. THIEVES, OLE. BALAWU.
        COME on, COme again, Want more THRUTHS? NOT Facts but TRUTHS?HuhHuh BASTARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!"

        Meanwhile, there was something in your message that could have bonded our two people together! You must be really ashamed of yourself! What makes this stupidity painful to bear is the lost opportunity to hit the nail on the head! Secondly therefore, Hard Talk was not only familiar but the very foundation of this article. I am quoting hard talk as the courageous Nigerian mentioned so naturally I paid much attention to what he was saying. From the first impression you had made of me, and knowing where Hard Talk is coming from, I naturally warmed up to him! However, I did not want to hurt your feelings, but I wanted to show my personal disapproval of your language in reference of my person.

        "I have never in my life doubted that there are some Ghanaians who will do anything even if it means killing their fellow countrymen for a piece of EBA, OGBONNU and OIL to save a Nigerian...

        Examples of the above a too legion for me to jot down here.

        One such idiot and nincompoon is NANA AKYEA MENSAH. I do not know where on the planet this ingominous, rapacious HOODLUM lives but i am sure it is not with HUMANS cos the very substance of your article beggars believe and has all the rhetorics of a demented soul. You never ever in your sordid write up tackle the issue that has sparked all these but rather went at length to explain why A NIGERIAN, under the pseudonym KARD-TALK, UK was rather angry at Ghanaians for mudsling his country and went even at lenght to cull some of his cancerous jibes in your write up....
        I think the comments by Nigerians on their forum Niaraland.com will be enough signpost to aid you stupidity.
        You must be ashamed of your cursed self. Read on SUCKER: " That was when I remembered I was a very busy person and realised it was time to move on!

        I only came back to check what you meant by I was "unable to unable to get to the substance of my write-up which in all purposes suggests to me that u are just a noisy cymbal." With me there are always consequences, even though I sincerely do not want such things go get in the way of friendship and international solidarity. I strongly resent to the language you use in addressing people. It is not clear whether you have an interesting angle on the subject that were are unable to see or you simply have some personal axe to grind and in that case one's opinions do not even matter:

        "U ar today preaching peace on this forum forgetting the countless number of women you have by your indiscretion and shameful acts caused them pain.
        I would spare you this time but i can assure you u am ready for your lifeless attitude and self aggrandised stance.
        Come again SUCKER!!!!!!"

        Thanks for reminding me of that! Indeed, I have very completely forgotten about "the countless number of women you have by your [indiscretion] and shameful acts caused them pain."! Can you please refresh my memory for me? Are you my son? How can I help you? What exactly is your problem? Is it a matter of having a hammer in your hand and seeing everything turning into nails all of a sudden? Or there are some burning issues of public interest? We are all ears! Try to go to the point, the protocols of parliamentary decorum is also designed in such a manner that you may not under-represent your brilliant ideas by clothing them in a manifestly repugnant manner! For the avoidance of any doubts, I order you to take a very careful notice of the fact that Nana Akyea Mensah takes no shit, and shall never be forced to swallow any material he does not digest!

        To prove my point, you just brought up something I nearly missed because of your bad language. Half of your post was very brilliant but too tedious to reach because half of it is nothing but boring insults. I am sure you will help all of us if you would stop that type of behaviour. There is no doubt you have a sense of injury, we all do, but these are times that call for grace under pressure, otherwise "I'd rather be a pair of rugged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas"!

        I decided to check out if the only reason why you seek to attack my integrity is simply because I am preaching peace between our two nations or there was something to it. I discovered, to my surprise, a very interesting insight into what some Nigerians are saying themselves about this problem and it made a lot of sense also. I suppose this is what you meant in your previous post as "the substance of [your] write-up". Thanks to your loud and undiplomatic mouth for bringing my attention to it. You did not have to, if you had been polite in the first instance.

        I have decided to respond to this because I think it is a very important angle for looking at what is really going on. The incompetent ministers must have found it hard to look themselves in their mirrors to feel so devalued by the smell of their stinking opulence and radical corruption, as well as embarrassment of being on the spotlight for the wrong reasons, with all fingers pointing at them with scorn, even from important citizens like Wole Soyinka. Obviously, people behave differently under pressure. Whilst Hemingway may do it with grace, the Nigerian ministers do it in disgrace.

        What Nigerians need to do if they are not happy with their government is to insist on accountability from their government and to ask the ministers whose inferiority complex leads them to make such self-assuring statements to know that what is stake is not the size of any member of the federating parties to the United States of Africa which matters, it is the rule of law, respect for human rights, transparency and accountability that the people to whom they are talking that nonsense to want to hear about! The ordinary people of Ghana must revenge such attacks by calling on the people of Nigeria to demand greater accountability from their ministers who are responsible for these utterances! It is not by insulting Nigerians that they would feel the heat. It is by joining the people of Nigeria in demanding accountability from them!

        This will make other corrupt African politicians think twice or more, before they open their mouths to criticise our achievements as a people. Nigerians are more angry and frustrated by their own government's incompetence and pervasive corruption than investigating a case in which a Ghanaian was caught red-handed having sex with a pig! It is in our interest to encourage them. Transporting our democratic gains to a neighbouring state can only boomerang and help re-enforce our own very fragile democracy. It is a just cause that would help bring our two peoples closer.

        These are no times to begin to fret around with jingoism and mafficking throwing our weight about inviting needless animosities. All the powers today, China, EU, Japan, USA, prefer to deal with us as divided entities and even avoid issues with our continental body when they are of a continental dimension. The EU developed this into an art form when their representative would not meet with Ecowas members but would "call upon President Kufour"! Obama would not address the AU but directly to Africa through Ghana's parliament, with very honourable "official reasons".

        In my humble estimation there is no need to pour petrol on fire with the Obama visit angle. The problem is that rather than Ghanaians stupidly and self-gloriously feeling special because of a one night visit by a US President, we must begin to question why the US is ignoring the AU in major issues such as US Africa Command AFRICOM, The AU meeting took place barely around the same time, is Africa so bad and such a disgraceful continent that the only piece of the territory worthy of Obama's feet must be Ghana? Who is trying to divide and rule us here? What is wrong with a direct address to the African Union Summit? They would have unanimously endorsed it too? It is only the fool that claims to be putting on weight when indeed, he is getting swollen. We must insist on regional peace and friendship at all cost because we are all one people with one imperialist threat, and one common destiny! If you fell special feel it in your bones and justify it to sister countries with some elegance and a sense of dignity.

        We are the masters of our own fate and the captains of our souls and God is on our side! So is History! I shall not say much. After all, in the final analysis, is it not up to each individual to choose to be a part of the solution rather than the problem? Is it not us to choose to be spectators of our own history rather than active participants in turning it into a happy ending?



        Post Scriptum:

        I liked your post on Africom. Actually, I did write an article on it so my position on the matter is very clear. I had never heard of the "The Worldwide Matrix Attack" in the specific terms you were quoting so I checked it out. Wow! This is mind boggling! I have already heard bits and pieces of the story, particularly in connection with Mr. Dick Cheney's involvement in the "running of an assassination ring".

        The story on Democracy.Now.Org was that:

        "The investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has revealed the Bush administration ran an “executive assassination ring” that reported directly to former Vice President Dick Cheney. Hersh says US operatives have secretly gone into countries and executed suspects on a target list. The operation was apparently run under the extra-legal Joint Special Operations Command, overseen only by the White House. Hersh made the disclosure while speaking Tuesday at the University of Minnesota."

        WOLF BLITZER: And so, this would be, and from your perspective—and you worked in the Bush administration for many years—it would be totally constitutional, totally legal, to go out and find these guys and to whack ’em.

        JOHN HANNAH: There’s no question that in a theater of war, when we are at war, and we know—there’s no doubt, we are still at war against al-Qaeda in Iraq, al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and on that Pakistani border, that our troops have the authority to go after and capture and kill the enemy, including the leadership of the enemy.

        AMY GOODMAN: That’s John Hannah, Dick Cheney’s former national security adviser. Seymour Hersh joins me now here in Washington, D.C., staff writer for The New Yorker magazine. His latest article appears in the current issue, called “Syria Calling: The Obama Administration’s Chance to Engage in a Middle East Peace.”

        OK, welcome to Democracy Now!, Sy Hersh. It was good to see you last night at Georgetown. Talk about, first, these comments you made at the University of Minnesota.

        SEYMOUR HERSH: Well, it was sort of stupid of me to start talking about stuff I haven’t written. I always kick myself when I do it. But I was with Walter Mondale, the former vice president, who was being amazingly open and sort of, for him—he had come a long way in—since I knew him as a senator who was reluctant to oppose the Vietnam War. And so, I was asked about future things, and I just—I am looking into stuff. I’ve done—there’s really nothing I said at Minnesota I haven’t written in the New York Times. Last summer, I wrote a long article about the Joint Special Operations Command.

        And just to go back to what John Hannah, who is—was—I think ended up being the senior national security adviser, almost—if not the chief of staff, deputy chief of staff for Dick Cheney in the last three or four years, what he said is simply that, yes, we go after people suspected—that was the word he used—of crimes against America. And I have to tell you that there’s an executive order, signed by Jerry Ford, President Ford, in the ’70s, forbidding such action. It’s not only contrary—it’s illegal, it’s immoral, it’s counterproductive.

        The evidence—the problem with having military go kill people when they’re not directly in combat, these are asking American troops to go out and find people and, as you said earlier, in one of the statements I made that you played, they go into countries without telling any of the authorities, the American ambassador, the CIA chief, certainly nobody in the government that we’re going into, and it’s far more than just in combat areas. There’s more—at least a dozen countries and perhaps more. The President has authorized these kinds of actions in the Middle East and also in Latin America, I will tell you, Central America, some countries. They’ve been—our boys have been told they can go and take the kind of executive action they need, and that’s simply—there’s no legal basis for it.

        And not only that, if you look at Guantanamo, the American government knew by—well, let’s see, Guantanamo opened in early 2002. “Gitmo,” they call it, the base down in Cuba for alleged al-Qaeda terrorists. An internal report that I wrote about in a book I did years ago, an internal report made by the summer of 2002, estimated that at least half and possibly more of those people had nothing to do with actions against America. The intelligence we have is often very fragmentary, not very good. And the idea that the American president would think he has the constitutional power or the legal right to tell soldiers not engaged in immediate combat to go out and find people based on lists and execute them is just amazing to me. It’s amazing to me.
        And not only that, Amy, the thing about George Bush is, everything’s sort of done in plain sight. In his State of the Union address, I think January the 28th, 2003, about a month and a half before we went into Iraq, Bush was describing the progress in the war, and he said—I’m paraphrasing, but this is pretty close—he said that we’ve captured more than 3,000 members of al-Qaeda and suspected members, people suspected of operations against us. And then he added with that little smile he has, “And let me tell you, some of those people will not be able to ever operate again. I can assure you that. They will not be in a position.” He’s clearly talking about killing people, and to applause.
        Your post:
        "As a matter of Fact former CIA Direcror George Tenet has penned what he called "The Worldwide Matrix Attack" which is morte deadly than the Hydrogen an Atomic bomb put together.

        And there is also AFRICOM which OBASANJO sensibly rejected but was accepted by J.A KUFFOUR all for an exchange of the USAID $20million and the Millinium Challenge Account.

        Africom is just the doomsday for Africa which countries like Nigeria, South Africa an Zambia rejected even before they made it public. "

        I think you can be great when you choose to. I would prefer working with you if you could argue more constructively and also refrain from puerile pranks! However, I must confess that I just read the following after a short search on the : "The Worldwide Matrix Attack":

        "This Memorandum trumped previous mechanisms by which the President would authorize intelligence actions (but not assassinations) through individual Presidential Findings. The fail safe mechanisms established under the administrations of Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, and Clinton were simply erased at the urging of Tenent. In light of these revelations, what was authorized by the President may have led to the assassinations of a umber of human rights and ethnic leaders not connected in any way with Al Qaeda but did represent bothersome roadblocks to a number of U.S. military and corporate interests."

        "... 4. Chief Bola Ige. On December 23, 2001, Chief Bola Ige, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Nigeria, was assassinated in the bedroom of his home in Ibadan by unknown gunmen. Ige was a leader of the Yorubas, a largely Christian ethnic group that has championed the cause of southern Nigerian Christian tribes like the Igbo, Ogoni, and Yoruba that maintain grievances against exploitative Western oil companies that have spoiled their lands with pollution and pocketed most of the oil revenues for themselves and corrupt Nigerian politicians. Ige was the presidential candidate of the pan-Yoruba Alliance for Democracy but lost to the current President Olusegum Obasanjo, a former general who is thought by many Nigerians to be in the hip pocket of western oil companies, including Chevron and ExxonMobil. A lucrative CIA and Pentagon front operation, the private military contractor MPRI, has been training special units of the Nigerian armed forces. These forces have been active in putting down anti-oil industry protests by Igbo, Ogoni, and Yoruba tribal peoples along the Nigerian coast. Michael J. Boskin, the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Bush I is a member of the Exxon Mobil board, while current National Security Adviser Condolleezza Rice served on the board of Chevron. Currently serving on Chevron's Board is Bush I trade representative Carla Hills and former Louisiana Senator Johnston, who also serves on the board of Freeport McMoran.


        In all likelihood all of these assassinations were likely known to the CIA and allowed to take place unhindered. The killings all directly benefitted the interests of the US military-industrial complex that President Eisenhower so poignantly warned us about some 40 years ago."

        "THERE IS NO TIME TO WAIT! AFRICA MUST UNITE!"
        Kwame Nkrumah, 1958

        The autumn whether here is nothing to write home about. Have a nice day!

        --

        Nana Akyea Mensah




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