Rawlings Lashes Out At The West

ABUJA, Nigeria (PANA) - Ghanaian leader Jerry Rawlings has berated developed countries, accusing them of exacerbating Africa's economic woes.

Addressing Sunday the ECOWAS jubilee summit in Abuja, he said the West had always exploited economic agreements with Africa to the detriment of the environment and the livelihood of the people.

He cited the fishing accord between the European Union and most African coastal states which, he said, had resulted in the depletion of the aquatic resources and the impoverishment of the fish farmers in the developing states.

Rawlings, who specifically urged EU ambassadors at the summit to transmit his concerns to their home governments, mentioned the havoc caused to African economies by land mines imported from the industrialised world.

"You blame us for not balancing our budgets, but nothing is said about your policies that compound our economic problems," the Ghanaian leader added.

"Your countries benefit from these policies, so why let us die?" asked Rawlings, who also accused the developed countries of neglecting Africa.

He also had some harsh words for his African colleagues, saying it was time for "candid exchanges" for the resolution of the many problems plaguing the continent.

Rawlings, who is serving his last tenure in 2000, warned that the "elements of distrust" would hurt the people and continental unity unless the leaders changed their ways.

He, however, expressed satisfaction with what he called the level of "qualitative leadership" at recent ECOWAS meetings.

Ignoring protocol, he cited the "vociferous exchanges" in Abuja between Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Charles Taylor of Liberia over the crisis in Sierra Leone.

"At the end of the day," Rawlings said, "all the cards were placed on the table for brotherly resolution of the problem."

Malian President Alpha Konare, the ECOWAS chairman, said: "We must always remember that we are all members of one family. Let's trust and complement one another."

Africans must harness their vast human and material resources to achieve economic development, he added.