US Labour secretary, Jesse Jackson arrive for AAA summit

Accra (Greater Accra), 18th May ?99 ?

The United States Secretary for Labour, Mrs Alexis Herman arrived on Monday at the head of a 35-member delegation to attend the five-day African-African American Summit underway in Accra.

The entourage included Reverend Jesse Jackson, US special envoy for the promotion of democracy in Africa, and other senior government officials.

Speaking to journalists Mrs Herman said their participation in the conference reaffirms President Bill Clinton's commitment to forge closer ties with Ghana and Africa as a whole.

She said the summit also opens a new chapter in US - Ghana relations and that they are looking forward to fruitful deliberations during the summit.

Rev. Jesse Jackson commended President Jerry Rawlings for his able leadership in Ghana's economic recovery programme, citing the success being chalked by Ashanti Goldfields Company on international markets.

Rev. Jackson said African-Americans have a role to play in conflict resolution in Africa and intends to go to Togo after the summit to help in brokering peace in the Sierra Leonean crisis.

He mentioned the conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo as some of the areas that engage the attention of African ? Americans and for which they will strive to find solutions.

Rev Jackson said problems facing Africa such as AIDS, the debt burden and prevalence of land mines in war-torn areas should not over-shadow opportunities that abound in Africa.

"Our interest in Africa is broad and deep and our commitment is eternal," he said and recalled the pioneering role of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and W.E.B Dubois in Pan-Africanism and the struggle against apartheid and segregation in South Africa by President Nelson Mandela.