House to be briefed on Cote d'Ivoire's problems

The Acting Speaker of Parliament Freddy Blay, on Thursday directed the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Interior to brief Parliament on the state of affairs in Cote d'Ivoire "as soon as possible."

He gave the directive after members expressed concern on Ghana's western neighbour's "political deluge possible spill over" Members were contributing to a statement read by Kosi Kedem, NDC-Hohoe Central, on the recent Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA) conference that was held in Accra.

Over one hundred lawmakers from Europe and Africa discussed the role of Parliament in the implementation of the New African Initiative for Development (NEPAD). They also harped on the AIDS/HIV pandemic and sustainable development.

Issac Amoh, NPP Ayawaso Wuogon, said, "are we safe in Ghana when our neighbour's house is burning. We need to talk about, Let's not pretend it is not happening."

Captain Nkrabea Effah-Dartey (rtd), Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said bad governance is at the heart of all upheavals and civil disorders. He called on all African governments to adhere to the tenet of democracy and rule of law so that the ordinary man would not fell intimidated by the powerful in society.

He said the Ivorian question was a big challenge to the AU and ECOWAS since it is more complex that anyone thought. Mustapha Iddris, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the situation in that country was very delicate and asked members to bear with ECOWAS and the government. "The Ivoirian situation is very delicate and calls for the best skill in diplomacy to take us out of it."