Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party Nana Akuffo Addo has denied reports that he was consulted before the two infamous ex Guantanamo Bay detainees were brought to Ghana.
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Nana Addo was only informed of the transfer of the Gitmo 2 at the eleventh hour
It would be an unusual use of English, in these circumstances, to suggest that Nana Akufo-Addo was consulted. At best, what can be said is that he was informed of the transaction as it was being implemented
Ex-Gitmo detainees
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Reports indicate that the US ambassador to Ghana Robert Jackson in a meeting with some news editors stated that the opposition leader was part of the decision process to bring the detainees into the counrty.
The transfer of the ex Gitmo prisoners generated heated arguments and opposition from both the public and opposition parties who argued that this move will only open up the country to terror attacks.
The public disagreement notwithstanding government brought the detainees in the country arguing that they are of no threat whatsoever so the people of Ghana should be compassionate.
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The statements from the US ambassador seeks to portray Nana Addo as having fore knowledge before the transfer was done. But a statement signed by the largest opposition leader's press secretary has denied this saying Nana Addo was only informed of the decision to bring Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al Dhuby into Ghana.
Below is the full statement
The attention of the Office of Nana Akufo-Addo has been drawn to a news item on some online media portals and on social media to the effect that the 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party was “consulted” before, to quote the news item, “the infamous transfer of the two Guantanamo Bay detainees to Ghana.”
According to the story captioned “Nana Addo was consulted before GITMO 2 Transfer – US”, the new US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Jackson, in a meeting with some editors on Friday, April 15, is alleged to have said that “the Foreign Minister and this Embassy consulted about informing other stakeholders and so we did talk to Akufo-Addo before the transfer happened.”
These statements by the Ambassador, therefore, create the impression that Nana Akufo-Addo was “consulted” and thereby had foreknowledge of the transfer of the Gitmo-2 detainees.
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For the avoidance of doubt, we would like to reiterate our earlier stated position that at no point during the transaction between the two governments was Nana Akufo-Addo consulted, and the facts of the matter speak clearly for themselves.
On January 5, 2016, the Deputy Chief of Mission/Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Ghana, then acting as Chief of Mission, Melinda Tabler-Stone, called on Nana Akufo-Addo at his Nima residence to inform him, with the consent of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, about the impending arrival into the country of two ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al Dhuby, as a result of discussions between the US and Ghana governments. The day after this visit, on January 6, it was announced that these Guantanamo detainees had been admitted into Ghana upon the authority of the President of Ghana. It would appear that at the time Melinda Tabler-Stone spoke to Nana Akufo-Addo, the two Gitmo-2 detainees were either on their way to Ghana or had arrived in the country.
It would be an unusual use of English, in these circumstances, to suggest that Nana Akufo-Addo was consulted. At best, what can be said is that he was informed of the transaction as it was being implemented, in other words he was presented with afait accompli, not a consultation.
These are the bare facts of this matter.
……signed……Eugene ArhinPress Secretary
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