Fears that ex-president Rawlings may have presented a twisted tale of Ghana’s present political situation to ex-American president, Bill Clinton during their meeting Monday afternoon are unfounded, says Mr. Victor Smith, Special Assistant to Mr. Rawlings.
Instead, Smith says politics was not on the menu of discussion between the immediate past presidents of Ghana and the US during their meeting. “What they mainly discussed was the issue of the global AIDS situation,” Smith told the National Concord.
Smith, however, admitted that there was a moment where the two former leaders excused themselves to have a t?te-?-t?te and that he was not privy to what exactly they discussed during that private moment.
Clinton and Rawlings met Monday afternoon following last minute go-ahead from State Protocol that day.
“The Concord had learnt that the ruling administration had earlier expressed misgivings over the meeting though secretary to the president, Ambassador D.K. Osei said on Metro TV newspaper review programme Tuesday that approval was immediately given for the meeting once the Clinton team expressed the intent to meet Rawlings.
Diplomatic as well as other independent sources had earlier, however, confirmed that prior to his arrival in Accra. He therefore requested that his trip be kept low-key if that would enable him meet Rawlings.
Concord’s independence checks by Friday last week revealed that a secret meeting with Rawlings was on the card of the former American president even if diplomatic go-ahead was not given for their meeting”.
Re-echoing the independent findings, Smith said they were informed by the Clinton team and officials of the US embassy in Accra that the meeting may have to come on on the quiet out of the media glare, since the ruling administration had expressed reservations over it.
“We were actually informed by the Americans earlier that State Protocol were not happy with the meeting and that it should be a low profile meeting out of the glare of the media,” said Smith.
According to him, the Americans, who had all along been communicating with them that as a result of requirements by State Protocol, media personnel should not be invited to the event, subsequently informed the Rawlings household that though go-ahead had been given for the meeting, the media should be kept out of it. To the extent that some of the Secret Service officers protecting the former American president made attempts to halt some members of the Ghanaian broadcast media with microphones from covering the interaction between the two former leaders. “I heard him (Clinton) actually reprimanding one of his secret service officers over this,” Smith said.
