The National Security Coordinator, Lt. Col. Larry Gbevlo-Lartey (rtd), says it is very “naïve” on the part of some politicians to document and bandy about statements attributed to associates of a group engaged by the United Nations, as official report of the highly-recognized international organization.
Lt. Col. Larry Gbevlo-Lartey (rtd) was emphatic that the supposed UN report on La Cote d'Ivoire which appears to be the main source of information for these “naïve” individuals cannot be said to be an official UN document.
It would be recalled that at the just ended Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) organised Presidential Debate, flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, cited a UN report on La Cote d'Ivoire accusing Ghana of having allowed insurgents to use its territory while planning subversive actions against the constitutionally elected government in the Ivory Coast.
He also slammed the “dzi wo fi asem” (mind you own business, in Akan) policy of the NDC administration and the somewhat passive role Ghana played in resolving the political crisis in that country.
But questioning the credibility of the “supposed UN report” which indicted Ghana for allegedly harbouring dissidents plotting to unseat the Ivorian government, Col. Larry Gbevlo-Lartey (retired), told JoyFM in an interview during the airing of Newsfile, a news analysis programme that the sources quoted in the report are unreliable.
Dzi wo fi asem
He explained that portions of the report being referred to are transcripts of statements attributed to associates of the group engaged by the UN, who had planned to meet Ghanaian authorities on July 24th 2012 for their input.
Unfortunately, he said, tragedy hit the nation since that was the same date President John Atta Mills died.
The former military capo thus expressed pleasant surprise at the level of falsehood being peddled by some politicians regarding alleged strained relationship between Ghana and La Cote d'Ivoire after the ousting of Laurent Gbagbo.
“Even throughout the conflict with President Gbagbo’s people, it is our people (sic) who were protecting President Ouatara while he was locked up in that hotel. It was our people who were providing him protection…..The EC (in Ghana) is even looking for helicopters, our helicopters are in Cote D’Ivoire serving President Ouatara,” Col. Gbevlo-Lartey disclosed.
The National Security Co-ordinator further stated that 'Dzi wo fie asem' has never been the country’s foreign policy but was the best option available for the late President Mills to embrace at the zenith of the Ivorian impasse.
“There was this issue about sending troops outside the UN auspices to go into Cote d'Ivoire to fight and President Mills lightly said if the UN asked him for more troops to go to Cote d'Ivoire, he would succumb. But if he was to go unilaterally, to send troops to now fight…against who and that he doesn’t see that clear and someone was insisting that why wasn’t he…and he said 'Dzi wo fie asem'…That was the context in which 'Dzi wo fie asem' was mentioned and it was not to say that was Ghana’s (foreign) policy,” he explained.
Source: Chris Joe Quaicoe/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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