Ghana not initially prepared for new AU challenges- Anyimedu

Accra, Feb. 20 GNA - Dr. Amos Anyimedu, Adjunct Fellow of the African Security Dialogue and Research (ASDR) on Tuesday stated that even though Ghana deserves to be elected chairman of the African Union (AU) the country was initially not prepared for the new challenges. Dr. Anyimedu was speaking at a panel presentation on the crisis in Darfur and Somalia organized by the ASDR in Accra.

The presentation is an attempt by research institutions, which deal with security matters in Africa to come out with suggestions and strategies on how to assist Ghana's Chairmanship of the AU. Dr. Anyimedu also cautioned the media to be extremely careful in the way they report about President Kufuor's handling of crisis situations on the continent and the tendency to affect his diplomatic manoeuvres.

He said Ghana was way ahead of many African countries in terms of political diplomacy and management of conflicts.

He urged the President to use multi-track diplomacy to deal with the crisis situation in both Darfur and Somalia.

Dr Anyimedu also welcomed Ghana's position at the United Nations when it voted with the European Union to intervene in the crisis in Darfur. Dr William Ahadzie, a Lecturer at the Department of Sociology, University of Ghana called for a political solution to the crisis in Somalia.

He said the AU had to show to the rest of the world that it has the capacity to handle the situation in Somalia in order to win the trust and confidence of the international community. He said the military solution to the problem only becomes necessary when the lives of the people, especially women and children were in grave danger.