Mills returns from Abuja

Accra, June 23 GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills returned home on Tuesday from Abuja, Nigeria, where he attended the 36th summit of heads of state and governments of ECOWAS as well as that of a West Africa Monetary Zone.

President Mills also held talk with Nigerian President Umaru Yar' Adua. Speaking to journalists at the airport, Alhaji Muhammad Mummuni, Minster of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, said President Mills held discussions with his Nigerian counterpart on bilateral issues such as the supply of crude oil and the need to deepen existing ties between the two countries.

The two presidents called for closer collaboration between Ghana and Nigeria especially in the areas of trade and commerce, the Foreign Minister said.

Alhaji Mummuni said at the ECOWAS summit the heads of state reviewed happenings in the sub-region especially in the areas of peace, security, democracy and governance.

He said the security situation in Niger, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Cote d'Ivoire were high on agenda.

The Foreign Minister said the summit urged political leaders in Niger to help maintain the peace in the country and ensure that the rule of law did not break down.

On Guinea Bissau the heads of state expressed regret at the assassination of the President and called for the restoration of peace to Guinea Bissau. They also called on the authorities in that country to organize democratic elections as soon as possible. The Foreign Minister said a donor's conference on Guinea Bissau had been scheduled for Abuja as soon as elections were held in that country. He said the summit expressed satisfaction with Cote d'Ivoire's political situation which had become stable enough for the holding of elections later this year.

The Foreign Minister said the summit also looked at infrastructural development in West Africa and established an infrastructure fund to finance development in areas of railway, maritime, air transport and road construction in the sub-region.

A special summit was also held between ECOWAS and Spain on democratic governance during which they discussed ways of strengthening democracy in the sub-region.

He said Spain also pledged 240 million Euros towards the eradication of human and drug trafficking in West Africa as well as 15 million Euros towards the West African Infrastructural Fund. At the airport to meet president Mills were Vice President John Dramani Mahama, Ministers of state, the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj-Gen. Peter Blay and the Inspector General of Police, Mr Paul Quaye. 23 June 09