Kufuor In Niger For Emergency ECOWAS Summit

The President of Ghana, H.E. John Agyekum Kufuor yesterday left Accra for Niamey, Niger, to attend an emergency Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit on Togo.

The summit follows the swearing in of Faure Gnassingbe as President of Togo to succeed his father Gnassingbe Eyadema who died last Saturday. It is expected to hold talks aimed at ensuring political and democratic governance in Togo.

Ghana?s Foreign Minister, Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Secretary to the President, Mr Daniel Osei and Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Kwabena Agyepong accompanied the President. At the airport to see him off were Vice President Aliu Mahama, Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Seth Obeng, the Inspector General of Police, Nana Owusu-Nsiah and some Government officials.

President Kufuor is expected to return later in the day. Many ECOWAS leaders, including President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria are expected to attend the summit, the first to be chaired by Niger President Mamadou Tandja, the new Chairman of the sub regional body.

The African Union (AU) has condemned the events in Togo since Saturday describing it as a "military coup d'?tat".

The Peace and Security Council of the AU last Monday signalled "its determination to impose sanctions, foreseen in cases of unconstitutional transfers of power, unless rapid action is undertaken by the authorities to restore the constitutional order".