Kufuor receives German Deputy Chancellor

Accra, Feb. 10, GNA - German Deputy Chancellor and Foreign Minister, Dr Frank Walter Steinmeier, on Sunday arrived in Accra on the first leg of a three-nation tour of West Africa.

The visit, which would take him to Togo and Burkina Faso, is to lend his country's support to the giant socio-economic and political strides they were making. He said during a courtesy call on President Kufuor at the Castle, Osu, that these were countries that were on the right path and needed to be given every necessary encouragement.

"I am here to help to show the positive face of Africa to the rest of the world and to correct the widely held impression particularly among Europeans now, that Africa is a continent torn apart by conflicts."

Dr. Steinmeier thanked President Kufuor for his leadership and mediation efforts in the Kenyan political crisis. He said he was hopeful that former United Nations (UN) Chief, Kofi Annan-headed Panel, set up by President Kufuor as then Chairman of the African Union (AU), to assist to restore the East African country to normalcy would succeed.

On a lighter side, he touched on the 26th MTN African Cup of Nations Tournament, which Ghana the host nation failed to reach the finals and said his country found itself in the same situation when it failed to get to the finals of the 2006 FIFA World Tournament. The disappointment notwithstanding, he said, "the benefit was that it took place in our country."

Responding President Kufuor said, Ghana being a nation with a lot of passion for football understood that, "we take part in soccer competitions not always to win."

He said what was heart warming and reassuring was that the National Team, the Black Stars performed so well and that he had no doubt that, it would be the team to beat in the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer fiesta in South Africa.

Switching to political conflicts in Africa, he said this was part of the challenge of an emerging Continent and that the leaders were determined to take the initiative to resolve them. In doing this, they would however want the Region's development partners to support them.

President Kufuor said he was happy about the co-operation, the Panel, chaired by Mr Annan was receiving from the Kenyan political leaders and expressed optimism that there was going to be a breakthrough soon. 10 Feb. 2008