Prime News Ghana

Defence Committee calls for the ratification of US military deal

By Clement Edward Kumsah
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Prime News has gathered that the Defence, Interior and the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committees in Parliament has recommended to the house the ratification of the debatable Ghana-US military agreement.

The recommendation of the joint-committee comes irrespective of the massive public uproar against US military agreement.

The Minority in Parliament is of the view that when the agreement is approved by Parliament, Ghana will lose her credentials as a Sovereign State.

“We find the non-availability of restraints on movements of United States Army personnel in Ghana as spelt out in Article 12 of the agreement, troubling, as it opens up the country in a manner that undermines both our sovereignty and security”. Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said in a statement.

In a response, the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul in a radio interview on March 20, 2018, stated categorically that the Agreement does not permit an establishment of a Military Base in the Ghanaian jurisdiction, rather it is to further clarify the status of U.S. Military personnel and their activities with the Ghana Armed Forces.

The Defence Minister added that Ghana Armed Forces has had a long-standing arrangement with U.S. Military when it comes to joint training and other operational activities within Ghana, hence the Agreement makes provisions of the status, rights, and obligations conferred on the U.S. personnel.

But according to a statement from the Defence Committee to Parliament seen by Prime News,  read  “its ratification would help provide a mutually beneficial arrangement for cooperation and readiness to combat emerging global security threats whilst also enhancing the already existing relationship between the two countries in the area of security cooperation.”

“The Committee therefore recommends to the House to adopt this report and ratify by resolution, the agreement between the government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Ghana on Defence Cooperation, the Status of United States Forces and Access to and Use of Agreed Facilities and Areas in the Republic of Ghana in accordance with Article 75 (2) of the 1992 Constitution and Standing Orders of the House,”

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