This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.


ACTION IO-00    

INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AF-00    AID-00   USNW-00  CEA-01   CIAE-00  
      CTME-00  INL-00   DODE-00  DOEE-00  ITCE-00  DOTE-00  DS-00    
      EAP-00   EB-00    EXME-00  EUR-00   E-00     FAAE-00  UTED-00  
      VC-00    FRB-00   H-00     TEDE-00  INR-00   LAB-01   L-00     
      VCE-00   AC-00    DCP-00   NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OES-00   OIC-00   
      OIG-00   OMB-00   NIMA-00  MCC-00   PER-00   ACE-00   SP-00    
      SSO-00   SS-00    STR-00   FMP-00   BBG-00   IIP-00   SCRS-00  
      DSCC-00  PRM-00   DRL-00   G-00     SAS-00   SWCI-00    /002W
                  ------------------0CC1FB  301957Z /38    
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8823
INFO ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
USDOC WASHDC 0445
MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP

UNCLAS  ACCRA 001282 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC ECON EFIN GH KUNR PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: GHANA:  VIEWS ON UN REFORM AND G-8 DEBT 
 
REF: A. STATE 111657 
     ¶B. STATE 111637 
     ¶C. STATE 114051 
     ¶D. STATE 115596 
 
¶1.  Summary:  The Ambassador met Ghanaian Foreign Minister 
Nana Akufo-Addo on June 28 to deliver demarches on UN 
reforms.  Akufo-Addo said Ghana supports most of the USG 
priorities in UN reform, including creation of a Democracy 
Fund, reform of the UN Human Rights Commission, the creation 
of a Peacebuilding Commission, budgetary/management reform, 
and the Convention on Terrorism.  He expects a coordinated 
African initiative on UNSC reform.  Ghana understands our 
views on ODA and development, he said.  He had expounded on 
the GOG's view of G-8 debt/aid issues in a meeting with G-8 
Ambassadors on the previous day, June 27, arguing that debt 
relief should be extended to all African countries and all 
aid should be channeled through multilateral institutions. 
End summary. 
 
¶2.  On June 28, the Ambassador met with Ghanaian Foreign 
Minister Nana Akufo-Addo to deliver demarche on USG 
priorities for UN reform and to review the USG position on 
debt prior to the G-8 meeting.  (Note: This demarche was not 
delivered earlier because of the Ambassador's absence from 
post.  End note.)  Ambassador orally presented and solicited 
feedback on the talking points from reftels A-C, and provided 
a copy of detailed background points on the G-8 Finance 
Ministers' Agreement on 100 Percent Multilateral Debt Relief, 
explaining that this had USG support (ref D). 
 
--------------- 
The UN Demarche 
--------------- 
 
¶3.  Akufo-Addo had the following response to the UN reform 
points: 
 
Overall comment:  The Minister expressed his appreciation for 
our articulation of the U.S. views.  Ghana has significant 
common ground with the USG on the issue of UN reform.  The 
time has come for serious reforms.  There should be 
significant progress in September, "not more delay and 
discussion".  This is not only Ghana's view, but reflects a 
wider African consensus.  The UN has served its purpose well 
in the past but "we need to look forward". 
 
Development:  The GOG understands the USG position on ODA and 
our emphasis on mobilizing domestic resources through trade 
and investment. 
 
Support for Democracy Initiatives and the Democracy Fund: 
The GOG welcomes the Democracy Fund as a good idea. 
 
Budget, Management and Administrative Reform:  There is broad 
support for the need to reform the management of the UN.  The 
GOG supports this effort to "tighten up" management. 
 
Creation of a Human Rights Council:  The GOG clearly accepts 
the need to reform the Human Rights Commission and supports 
the Secretary General's idea of a Human Rights Council.  The 
GOG does not support universal membership and endorses 
representative membership from responsible countries.  (In 
addition, in a June 20 meeting, MFA Supervising Director for 
Legal and Multilateral Affairs Nana Bemi Kumi told PolChief 
that Ghana would have no problem changing the name of the 
Commission to a Council and that the GOG would be consulting 
other African governments about Human Rights Commission 
reform, including at the African Union meeting in Libya.) 
 
Creation of a Peacebuilding Commission:  The GOG is "keen on" 
this idea and recognizes there are issues to be worked out 
regarding the correct mandate of the Commission and its 
location. 
 
Adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on Terrorism:  There 
is broad support for this convention.  The debate about 
defining terrorism cannot continue.  He hopes there will be 
broad support in September to move this convention forward. 
 
UNSC Reform:  The USG needs to be clearer about how it will 
respond to competing demands for Security Council 
representation.  He said the GOG and others are all waiting 
for the U.S. to make its decision (or articulate its views). 
The GOG is aware of the USG's support for a Japanese UNSC 
seat and our support for the concept of expansion.  A 
coordinated African initiative on this issue has strong 
support and is likely to move forward. 
 
---------- 
G-8 Issues 
 
---------- 
 
¶4.  The demarche followed a meeting on June 27, in which the 
Foreign Minister convoked the Ambassador, her G-8 colleagues, 
and representatives of many African countries invited to the 
G-8 to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the G-8 agenda. 
 
¶5.  Akufo-Addo said Gleneagles was the most important G-8 
meeting for African nations in history, calling it a 
"watershed".  He expressed gratitude for the debt relief 
decision which was reaffirmed in the recent meetings in 
Washington between Presidents Bush and Kufuor.  It is seen as 
a significant gesture from rich to poor nations, giving 
nations a chance to begin again without the burdens of the 
past.  He appreciated Ghana's inclusion as one of 18 eligible 
HIPC countries. 
 
¶6.  However, he argued that Ghana and the other African reps 
believe that this debt forgiveness should be continent-wide, 
not just for the 18 HIPC nations, and he said President 
Kufuor had made this point to President Bush.  Akufo-Addo 
raised the concern that the debt relief announcement did not 
make clear the cutoff date.  African countries prefer it to 
take effect as of the time of the announcement in May, and 
will seek this at Gleneagles. 
 
¶7.  Akufo-Addo understood that future assistance from G-8 
countries would depend on good governance and said African 
countries accept their responsibility on governance issues, 
citing recent events in South Africa and Nigeria.  He praised 
the International Finance Fund as innovative and encouraging. 
 While he welcomed debt relief, there was also a a need for 
additional resources, saying this will be a priority for 
African countries at Gleneagles.  President Kufuor made it 
clear in Washington and in Abuja at the NEPAD meeting that 
whatever assistance is forthcoming should be centralized and 
administered by multilateral institutions.  According to the 
Foreign Minister, Kufuor told President Bush in Washington 
that the 0.7 percent ODA target for the developed world 
should be honored immediately -- not in 10 years time. 
Developing countries need this assistance now and will 
hopefully be more independent in ten years, he stressed. 
 
¶8.  Akufo-Addo's remarks in the G-8 meeting mirrored comments 
made by President Kufuor on June 16 upon his return from 
Washington.  Kufuor used an airport press conference to note 
that he had asked President Bush for debt relief for every 
African country, handled through the World Bank and IMF to 
"de-politicize the process".  He said that in his meeting 
with Secretary Rice he had asked for increased assistance to 
Ghana, and that the Secretary had told him to "keep up the 
good work." 
YATES 
 
 
NNNN