Rawlings Cancels Summit Trip Because of Sierra Leone

ACCRA Ghana President Jerry Rawlings has cancelled his trip to next week's Africa summit in Harare, Zimbabwe, because of the degeneration of the political and security situation in Sierra Leone.

Rawlings, who was to have left for Harare Sunday, has instead send a representative to Zimbabwe so that he could actively explore a solution to the Sierra Leone crisis.

These were contained in a statement presented to Parliament by the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Kwamena Ahwoi, on the situation in Sierra Leone.

Ahwoi said Rawlings was in telephone contact with coup leader Maj. Johnny Paul Koroma, to impress upon him on the need to negotiate a political settlement to the crisis.

The contacts are at a very delicate stage now, Ahwoi said.

Ahwoi said Rawlings was also in contact with his counterparts in the West African subregion, following an appeal by the Central Organ of the Organization of Africa Unity Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, help restore constitutional rule to Sierra Leone.

The Central Organ made the appeal May 26 at its ordinary session at Ambassadorial level in Harare.

Ahwoi said although some options were open during the contacts, Ghana was mindful of the complexities of the situation and the need to adopt an approach that was sustainable in the long-term both politically and security-wise.

Our experiences in Liberia and the operations of ECOMOG are important lessons, Ahwoi said. Ghana's approach, therefore, has been to stress more on a negotiated political settlement which upholds the respect of the democratic choice of the people of Sierra Leone.

He said Ghana's immediate concern has been for the safety of some 1,000 Ghanaians in the troubled-country. They are made up of staff of the High Commission, a detachment of Ghanaian ECOMOG troops stationed at Lungi Airport, near Freetown. The troops are in Lungi for operations in Liberia.

Others are Ghanaians working with the United Nations and its agencies and registered Ghanaians, as well as those resident in Sierra Leone.

Therefore, the military will undertake the exercise. He expressed appreciation to the United States Government for its help, without which the evacuation would have suffered setbacks.

Ahwoi said the armed forces hastened its original plan to evacuate Ghanaians, 24 hours earlier because of the rapid deterioration of the crisis.

Ahwoi said that the Chancery building of the Ghana High Commission was attacked during the coup. Its garage was riddled with bullets but no one was hurt.

Ahwoi said there had been some internal resistance to the coup, described by those who launched it as purely an internal affair to end the civil war in that country, especially in Bo, a provincial capital.

There was some resistance from Nigerian troops guarding strategic places within Freetown, particularly, at Parliament house and the Ministry of Finance.

Ahwoi confirmed reports that Nigerian ECOMOG troop reinforcements had arrived in Freetown and had succeeded in securing some strategic installations and premises in the city.

He confirmed, also, that deposed President Tejan Kabbah had appealed to the ECOWAS to move to restore constitutional rule in Sierra Leone.

Meanwhile, Ahwoi said the O.A.U. has invited Kabbah to participate in its Harare summit next week. PANA