Veep attends remembrance ceremony for september 11 victims

Ghana on Tuesday joined the United States to commemorate the September 11 terrorists attacks in New York and Washington with a solemn remembrance ceremony that Vice President Aliu Mahama and some other dignitaries attended.

Similar remembrance ceremonies would be held around the world to ensure that "the world never forgets" the suicide attacks which claimed the lives of more than 4,000 people of 80 nationalities.

"Mullah Omar's spokesman told us on November 20 to forget the September 11 attacks, revealing a stunning lack of humanity and flawed appreciation of value accorded to human life and to our way of life by democratic people everywhere" said US Ambassador Nancy Powell.

However, she stressed, "We cannot and will not forget those who died in the attacks on September 11 and those who died trying to rescue them."

Mrs Powell praised the passengers of Flight 93, who prevented their plane from being flown to attack Washington and consequently, crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.

She urged nationals around the world to be inspired by the passengers' bravery and to continue with and finish the fight against terrorism.

"The global coalition has opened a battle of many fronts-military, political, economic- to stamp out the scourge of terrorism and it is making progress," she said.

Mrs Powell thanked Ghanaians for their messages of condolences and efforts and their participation in the global action against terrorism.

Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Information, reiterated Ghana's commitment to continuously support the global action against terrorism.

He expressed regret at the September 11 attacks, which claimed the lives of some Ghanaians, saying, the incident revealed that terrorism was no respecter of borders.

"The brutal and savage crime murdered thousands of lives in cold blood and we share the grief of the victims around the world," he said.

"It happened in Kenya and Tanzania and it can happen in Ghana. We are determined to work together with the world to prevent such terror."

A moving Ghanaian cultural performance, portraying disaster, death and sorrow by the Ghana Dance Company, followed by a minute of silence and the anthems of the Ghana and the US preceded the speeches.

Ministers of State, members of the diplomatic corps were among those, who attended the ceremony scheduled to coincide with the exact time (1346 GMT) the first hijacked commercial liner crashed into the World Trade Centre.

U.S. President George Bush, on December 5, urged nations around the world to play their national anthems or appropriate music at the time to send a "clear signal to the terrorists," that the United States, its allies and friends won't forget what took place on September 11.

On September 11 terrorists hijacked four commercial planes and slammed two of them into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York and another Pentagon in Washington.

A fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania