New U.S. Envoy to Ghana Faces the Challenge of Progress

Washington -- Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates says she looks forward to exchanging the challenges of conflict resolution, which she recently dealt with as U.S. envoy to war-torn Burundi, for the more mundane but equally vital goal of strengthening diplomatic, business and cultural ties with Ghana.

Yates, who was recently confirmed by the Senate as the new U.S. Ambassador in Accra, told the Washington File in a December 3 phone interview, "Being ambassador to Burundi was the most challenging job I've ever had in my life. But, to be honest, I'm looking forward to serving in Ghana whose challenges have more to do with economic development than with conflict resolution.

"I've only visited Ghana once, as a tourist," she said, but "I believe it is a beautiful country that has left its period of violence in its history books and is now concentrating on strengthening its democracy and its free market system."

The career diplomat said she hoped to contribute to that process, adding, "I look forward to meeting President [John] Kufuor and working with him. He has said his country is 'open for business' and has worked to create an attractive climate for investment, both from inside and outside the country."

In Burundi, Yates said, "I had the honor to help that nation's leaders work on bringing peace to a region that has been troubled by strife for a number of years. Our work resulted in the signing of a peace accord in August 2000, which unfortunately some rebel movements did not observe."

Yates modestly underplayed the danger that she had faced in her two years and eight months in the Great Lakes region. A predecessor, Ambassador Robert Krueger, had narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while he served in Burundi in the mid 1990's when gunmen fired upon his vehicle as he took a drive in the countryside.

A bonus from her Great Lakes experience, Yates said, was her interaction with former South African President Nelson Mandela, who presided over the Burundi peace talks in Arusha, Tanzania. "It was a real honor being in the company of a man who will go down in history as one of the world's greatest advocates for peace and reconciliation."

Despite the unraveling of the previous agreement in Arusha, the efforts of peacemakers have not been in vain. Their work in the process provided the foundation for a cease-fire agreement signed about the same time Yates spoke to the Washington File.

On December 3, State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip Reeker issued a statement saying: "This agreement is a significant step towards a comprehensive peace for the people of Burundi, as their country continues its transition to democracy under the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Accords signed in August 2000. We recognize the courage, responsibility and leadership shown by Burundian President Pierre Buyoya and Chairman Pierre Nkurunziza of the Forces for the Defense of Democracy (FDD)."

In addition to facilitating peace talks in Burundi, Yates said she was most proud of several accomplishments, including increasing the U.S. funding of HIV/AIDS programs from "zero to $3 million and the establishment of three projects by the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) in the country.

Now that she is going to "one of the most stable countries in Africa," Yates said, "My mantra will be: 'Let us work together to build business partnerships.' And I especially want to help Ghana take advantage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which they qualified for last year."

Ghana has jumped ahead of many of the 35 nations certified to export goods, including textiles, to the U.S. market under AGOA's non-quota, duty-free provisions. Observers say this is because of its progress in implementing economic reforms the act requires, such as overhauling its customs regime.

To further that effort, Yates said, "I want to work closely with Ghana's leaders to support rule of law, transparency and anti-corruption efforts -- all critical in the long term to build Ghana's economy."

On the political level, Yates said, "I also want to help President Kufuor continue his [country's] 'success story' as a freely-elected democracy. The presidential election will be in 2004 and I will be doing everything to support the climate" of political inclusion in Ghana.

In the social/health sphere, Yates said a top priority when she gets to Accra would be to help Ghanaian authorities battle HIV/AIDS. Although Ghana's infection rate of about 3.6% is low compared to other African countries, "It has been selected as a pilot country for an anti-viral drug treatment program, which I think is very innovative because it will be done in a remote region of the country and moves beyond prevention and treatment also to individual care."

Yates said her official swearing-in, as the new envoy to Ghana would take place at the State Department on December 17. Following a brief Christmas holiday, she and her husband, John Yates, an Africanist and former U.S. Ambassador to Benin, Cameroon/Equatorial Guinea and Cape Verde, planned to arrive in Accra on January 1, New Year's Day.