Guinea foreign minister apologises for attack on Ghana's Ambassador

Accra, Aug. 17, GNA - Mr Alexander Cece Loua, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Guineans Abroad, on Monday apologised for last week's attack on Ghana's Ambassador in Conakry, Mr Dominic Aboagye. Mr Loua, who delivered a special message from the Guinea President, Captain Moussa Kamara to President John Evans Atta Mills, said he had come to Ghana to offer the regrets and apologies to the government and people of Ghana and expressed the hope that President Mills would accept the apologies.

A statement issued from the Office of the President said Mr Loua said Guinea was going through a difficult development stage, following the coming into office of the new administration. He said Guinea was facing serious security challenges and to make matters worse drug barons were fighting the country in several forms that had made control of the state a difficult one. Mr Loua said as a result of this general insecurity people of all backgrounds were attacked from time to time and it was in this atmosphere that the Ghanaian Ambassador was attacked. He said when news of the attack on the Ambassador broke, government and high security officials visited him to express their regrets and assured him of their support.

The President of Guinea also instituted an investigation into the attack as soon as he heard it, and the Prime Minister held an emergency Cabinet meeting on the matter the following morning.

Mr. Loua described the attack against the Ghanaian Ambassador as "a spontaneous act by elements out of control".

He expressed the hope that Ghana would stand by Guinea in this difficult time of transition.

President Mills said he was glad the Guinean leader had sent an envoy to see him on the matter, saying this would help clear all doubts about the Guinean government's concern for the welfare of the Ambassador.

He said Ghana accepted the explanations offered by the special envoy unreservedly.

President Mills expressed the hope that the incident would not happen again and urged President Kamara to take steps to solve the problems that Guinea was going through now.

He gave the assurance that Ghana would not do anything to spoil the bilateral relations, saying at the right time Ghana would share her experiences in democracy with Guinea.