Ghana and the United States. Resolve Controversy

Accra The governments of Ghana and the United States of America have resolved the issue over the former director of the USIS and are cooperating in areas of mutual interest, an official statement has said in Accra. "Indeed our two countries have mutually agreed to put the Nick Robertson affair behind us", the statement said. It said Ghana and the U.S. are presently cooperating in the effort to find a solution to the political crisis in Sierra Leone. "To this end, the U. S. government has even offered to assist Ghana in the evacuation of her nationals should the need arise". The Ministry of Communications, which issued the statement, has therefore asked sections of the media, which are still fanning the issue to stop because they are confusing issues and creating tension where none exists. The statement noted that over the past fortnight, there has been a series of publications in some sections of the media relating to the circumstances leading to the early recall of the director of the United States Information Services, Accra. The statement, signed for the Minister of Communications by Mr Kofi Totobi Quakyi, said the government has ignored the several personal attacks and insults on certain officials in the publications, but it deems it important to address misrepresentations made.

"We wish to... explain that the issue at stake is not Mr Nick Robertson's views on the Criminal Libel Laws of Ghana. Mr Robertson is indeed entitled to his views. "It is, however, unacceptable for a diplomat accredited to this country, wherever he or she may be from, to issue what clearly amounts to threat to the sovereignty of Ghana and her state institutions, especially the judiciary. "Mr Robertson's utterances represented such threat and the government responded appropriately.

"Those utterances were typical of the condescending attitude of some diplomatic personnel towards Black Africa and countries of the so- called Third World " . The statement said as far as the government is concerned, it has put across its case to the US Embassy and the latter has responded by withdrawing the director. Government has also taken note of the statement issued by the USIS on the matter and even though it would have wished to respond to the content, it has decided to let sleeping dogs lie. Gri