Ghana Calls for Return to Lome Accord

Ghana has called on the Organisation of African Unity to support a roll-back to the Lome Peace Accord in renewed efforts to restore peaceful and democratic rule in Sierra Leone.

Authorities in Accra stressed the need to get back to the conditions as existed under the Lome framework and get on to the crucial issues such as disarmament in order to bring lasting peace to the troubled country.

The call was made Monday by deputy foreign Minister Joseph Ahwa Laryea when OAU Scretary General Salim Ahmed Salim met Vice President John Atta Mills in Accra.

Salim was in Ghana for consultations on the future of the Sierra Leonean peace process before leaving for Freetown to meet with the key political players.

The rebel Revolutionary United Front signed a peace deal with the government in July 1999, but that accord has been in tatters, especially after the rebels seized scores of UN peacekeepers in May.

Laryea said the degeneration of the situation in Sierra Leone has been a major worry to Ghana as it is depleting its limited resources through peacekeeping.

He expressed regret that Africa is beset with conflicts, which go to worsen the continent's economic difficulties.

Laryea commended the OAU for relentlessly working to bring African countries together and urged the people to support the organisation's efforts.

"We need security and stability to progress," he added.

Vice President Mills commended Salim for his untiring service, especially in the resolution of conflicts in West Africa and urged leaders on the continent to support the OAU's efforts.

"Those of us in leadership positions have the responsibility to create the necessary environment for peace and development of our people," he said.

He pointed out that many African states have known no peace for too long and that what is more disturbing is that the situation tends to even affect the few nations that are least connected with the conflicts.

Salim called for collaborative responsibility and determination from African leaders to see to the restoration of human and democratic rights of Sierra Leoneans.

He commended the key role Ghana has played over the years in the resolution of conflicts in Africa, saying it is in that vein that the OAU has deemed it crucial to consult Accra before proceeding to Freetown.

He mentioned Nigeria and Guinea as other countries that have also made great sacrifices in controlling the situation and expressed the organisation's support for efforts to restore peace in Sierra Leone and any other nation similarly troubled.

"We need to work together for Africa to be at the forefront of the world in the future," Salim said.