Rawlings grants audience to British Army Chief

Accra (Greater Accra) 20 Nov '98 President Jerry John Rawlings has appealed to Britain to help rehabilitate surviving veterans of World War Two most of whom are now living in deplorable conditions.

He said the government had been doing its best to assist them but economic constraints had made it impossible for this help to make an impact on their lifestyles.

The President said this when he granted audience to General Sir Roger Wheeler, the British Armed Forces Chief of Staff, the guest of the Ghana Armed Forces.

During the Second World War, Britain recruited some of its fighting forces from its colonies, including Ghana, and formed them into the West African Frontier Force.

This force saw action in many theatres of the war, including East and North Africa and the Far East where they fought the Japanese. But since the end of the war, 50 years ago when they were demobilised, most of them have been living in abject poverty. President Rawlings said the veterans, who were on parade at a public function two weeks ago, were a pitiful sight and wondered if Britain could not do anything for them. ''I want to leave it to you,'' he told Gen. Sir Wheeler. President Rawlings said he was grateful for the assistance the Ghana Armed Forces has been receiving from Britain in training courses for officers in Britain and the secondment of British officers to the Staff College. He recalled the events of June 4, 1979, and December 31, 1981, and said although those events rocked the Ghana Armed Forces, British officers then in Ghana did not leave. ''They stayed and helped us to regain command and control''. The President said the effective role of British officers had made the Staff College one of the best in Africa, drawing students from many parts of the continent. However, President Rawlings admitted that these overseas officers had been expensive and appealed to Britain for financial assistance. He appealed to some European countries to desist from pursuing policies which tend to frustrate West African countries' efforts at economic integration ''to protect their markets''. Mr Victor Gbeho, Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed concern about the security situation in Sierra Leone where rebel activity is leading to carnage. He said Ghana cannot play a significant role in peacekeeping operations as it did in Liberia because of financial constraints, adding: ''we cannot devote enough resources to Sierra Leone as we did in Liberia''. He, therefore, appealed to Britain for assistance to enable peace to be restored to Sierra Leone. Gen. Wheeler said Britain would continue to support Ghana 's Staff College and commended the role of Ghanaian soldiers in peacekeeping in many parts of the world. Lieutenant-Colonel E.K.T. Donkor (Rtd), Deputy Minister of Defence, and Air Vice-Marshal J.A. Bruce, Chief of Air Staff, were among those present.