Israel can't stop us befriending Iran - NRP

The government must formally express its displeasure at comments purportedly made by the Israeli Ambassador to Ghana concerning the recent visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the West African country, according to a member of the National Reform Party (NRP), Dr David Pessey

Sharon Bar-li told some local media that her country was unhappy with Ahmedinejad’s visit due to what she alluded to as the Iranian Leader’s controversial stance on the West.

Ghana’s foreign affairs minister Hannah Tetteh expressed reservations at the Israeli Ambassador’s comment when she spoke on some local media concerning a barrage of concerns raised about the visit.

Hannah Tetteh, as well as President Mahama, defended Ahmedinejad’s two-day visit and its significance to Ghana.

However, Dr. Pessey told XYZ News in an interview that the foreign Affairs Minister must, on behalf of the Government of Ghana, formally reprimand the Israeli Ambassador for poking her nose into Ghana’s internal affairs.

Dr Pessey said no country had any business to tell Ghana who it should or should not associate with.

“It’s not anybody’s business to determine for us who our friends should be," he said.

“She has no business telling us publicly who our friends should be."

He said: “…I’m disappointed that the Minister of Foreign Affairs did not summon the Israeli Ambassador to dress her down.

“It is done routinely by countries that respect themselves”.

“It’s something that is done routinely but because we have lost our self respect long ago, we take these things as normal”, Dr Pessey said.

President Ahmadinejad visited Ghana on Tuesday for two days. He is known for his controversial views on the West, nuclear power and Israel.

Iran does not recognise Israel as a country and refers to it as "regime" and has severed all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel. The two countries previously had a close relationship between 1948 and 1979 until the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty.