Accra, April 20, GNA – President John Agyekum Kufuor, Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with a delegation from the UN Security Council on the Ivorian crisis at the Castle, Osu.
Welcoming the delegation, President Kufuor said ECOWAS decided to invite the UN to assist in the conflict in Cote D’Ivoire because of the experience and vision of the world body in peacekeeping operations. He said initially ECOWAS was of the opinion that troops from the Sub-Region could contain the situation but the arrival of the UN troops had been very useful in Cote d’Ivoire.
President Kufuor said UN troops played major roles in other West African countries, Sierra Leone and Liberia and many countries outside the Sub-Region, therefore, with the UN troops there was much expectation that peace would be restored soon.
Mr Jean Marie Guehenno, Assistant to the UN Secretary-General, Busumuru Kofi Annan at the Department of Peacekeeping in the UN Headquarters, who led the delegation said peacekeeping troops had been deployed under the UN flag in Cote d’Ivoire.
He said reinforcement from the UN troops would send signals to Ivorians that peace was in sight and commended President Kufuor and other leaders of ECOWAS in their efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Sub-Region.
Mr Guehenno expressed appreciation to Ghanaian troops that had served in UN missions worldwide adding: ” I am impressed by the professionalism of the Ghanaian troops, who have been the blood and muscles of UN Peacekeeping in the world”.
Source: GhanaWeb
