Thank you Mr. President (Ivory Coast)

I want to thank President Atta Mills for his decision not to participate in

the "unnecessary war" that is being advocated by ECOWAS. Mr. Ouattara has

a responsibility for a peaceful resolution of the impasse in Ivory Coast as

Mr. Gbagbo does. This means that he should consider the possibility that

he may not become president for the sake of peace just as Mr. Gbagbo must

go for the sake of peace.

Mr. Ouattara is hiding behind United Nations troop and calling for other

people to put their lives on the line so that he will become president.

Surprisingly ECOWAS is towing this same line. (I never could understand

why people killed each other so that someone else may become president.)

If the leaders of ECOWAS want to promote democracy that bad, why don't they

take up arms themselves and go remove Gbagbo. The people who sign up to

become soldiers do not sign up to promote democracy. They sign up to

protect their countries. Going to war in another country to promote

democracy is George Bush "speak" and we all know where it got the world.

Ghana has been a beacon for Africa. During Ivory Coast's first war, I

prayed that the war wouldn't spill over into Ghana. Thank God it didn't.

If "West Africa" is going to gang up on Ivory Coast, then any West African

country is a target for Ivory Coast. This increases the chances that the

war will spill over into Ghana. This should be on the mind of anyone in

ECOWAS making decisions to go to war. Is it worth the chance of disrupting

Ghana; at the cusp of breaking from poverty; so that Ouattara will become

president?

I think ECOWAS should ignore any pressure from France, USA and Europe and

look for African solution. ECOWAS should negotiate with Mr. Gbagbo for him

to take two years to prepare and leave office and have Mr. Ouattara take

the two years after Gbagbo leaves and then have an interim president

appointed for one year during which ECOWAS will come in and run a fair

election in which Mr. Gbagbo and Mr. Ouattara may run if they choose to.

Let's not start sounding like America. Let's not start sounding like

George Bush.

Tony Pobee-Mensah