Reverend Al Sharpton to visit Ghana

Accra, July 16, GNA - A delegation of African-American clergy, community leaders and educators led by an aspiring presidential candidate of the US Democratic Party for the 2004 elections, the Reverend Al Sharpton will arrive in the country on July 20, for a sub-regional tour.

The visit is to add African-American moral support to the Liberian peace process and explore ways in which they could assist through humanitarian relief services to the refugees and other displaced persons in the West African sub-region.

A statement from the Institute for the Development of Pan African Policy (IDPAP) to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Wednesday said the delegation would also visit the Liberian refugee camps in Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and Guinea and report back to the US Congressional Black Caucus.

It said Rev. Sharpton has expressed concern for Africa's over 35 million refugees and displaced persons and would use the visit to explore ways in which an African-American Refugee and Relief Project could be established on the continent.

The statement said the delegation would also visit South Africa where it would confer with Ex- President Nelson Mandela on a variety of topics, including the Senegal's proposal for a permanent representation of the African Diaspora on the African Union.