Rawlings wishes Ghanaians Happy X’mas and Prosperous New Year

Former President John Jerry Rawlings on Friday wished Ghanaians Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year, asking them to consider unity as imperative for national development.

In a statement, Rawlings said, “We must all help build a national unity, which transcends ethnic, political, class and professional boundaries.”

He said that could only happen “when each and everyone of us demands that our political, religious, academic, industrial and traditional leaders pursue a bold and sincere course towards real good governance.

It must be one that eschews corruption, nepotism, tribalism, cronyism and political cynicism. Rawlings said, “as long as we maintain a passive or indifferent attitude towards the persistence of these socially divisive tendencies, we would have betrayed the developmental trust and aspirations that our people (from whom we derive our power and social influence) have reposed in us.”

He reminded Ghanaians that as they celebrated the Yuletide the good Lord would give them wisdom and courage to demand from their leaders that Ghana deserved real equality of opportunity for progress.

Former President Rawlings said, “In this season of peace and goodwill we are also reminded of our obligations to one another and to our nation.

“The joy of sharing a time of celebration cannot be meaningful unless we are mindful of the disadvantaged, the weak and the distressed and unless we are committed to the work of establishing a country in which social justice prevails.”GNA

Methodist Church congratulates Mills

The Methodist Church, Ghana on Friday congratulated Professor Atta Mills on receiving an overwhelming acknowledgement from the National Democratic Party (NDC) to continue to lead the Party for Election 2008.

A statement signed by the Presiding Bishop the Reverend Dr Robert Aboagye-Mensah in Accra said: "We thank God for a peaceful congress...Polling 81.4 per cent of the votes from the delegates indicates strong confidence that your Party has in your leadership."

The Methodist Church wished Prof Mills and the NDC a Merry Christmas and fruitful New Year.

Mills thanks all

Professor John Evans Atta Mills, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Flagbearer and Leader on Friday extended thanks to all those who made the party's congress at Legon on Thursday a successful and a momentous one.

He said in a statement: "As Flagbearer and Leader of the Great NDC family, I take this opportunity to thank the delegates and the teeming supporters who made yesterday's congress a momentous one".Prof. Mills said, he was grateful to the delegates for once again reposing their trust and confidence in him, confident of the fact that, "I would lead you to victory in 2008.

" He wished delegates, who travelled from their home regions would reach home safely.Prof. Mills also extended thanks to the executives of the party for the innovative and professional manner in which the congress was conducted which brought glory and good name to the NDC.

"To Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, Dr. Ekow Spio-Garbrah and Mr. Eddie Annan, I say a special thank you for being part of the process that has deepened internal democracy within the party and also for pledging your total and unalloyed support to the process that would lead the NDC to victory in 2008."He commended the media "for the very professional manner in which they reported proceedings."

Prof. Mills said, "For those media houses that covered the event live and thus allowed a larger audience to be part of the congress, a special thanks to them for doing the NDC the honours."He said he was grateful to 93all the invited guests from within and outside the country as well as our friends in the other political parties, who added their presence to make the congress what it was."

"In this festive time, I hope that as a country, we would all take time to reflect on the year which is passing us by and resolve to enter the coming year with a renewed sense of purpose. "I assure the rank and file of the party that once the calendar reads 2nd January, 2007, the walk to the Castle begins in earnest and there would be no turning back", he added.

Prof Mills said, "Victory beckons for the NDC and I pledge that John Evans Atta Mills would not deny the NDC that victory." He wished all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Source:GNA

Stranded Hajj pilgrims protest

Hundreds of pilgrims attending this year's Hajj as well as their relatives on Friday besieged the main road of the Aviance Cargo Village near the Kotoka International Airport in Accra in protest against the delayed departure of pilgrims to Mecca. On two separate occasions they blocked the road with sticks, boulders and other objects.

The police cleared the obstacles almost immediately after which the crowd blocked another part of the road. The action resulted in traffic jam and the police presence was reinforced.

None of the Hajj Board members was available to clarify the situation.Ghana News Agency (GNA) investigations revealed that most Hajj members as well as their relatives grew impatient and blamed the Hajj Board for their continued delayed flights.

They said after paying 20 million cedis per a person for the trip they had ended up being given excuses that flight to send them on the pilgrimage was not available. The pilgrims, who were being housed at the premises of the Aviance Cargo Village complained that the conditions they found themselves in was horrible.

A man, who gave his name as Salia said he has been waiting for almost a week, during which he took his bath only once. All efforts to contact the members of the Hajj Board proved futile, as their mobile phones would not ring.

Meanwhile the pilgrims have threatened to hold a protest march to the offices of the Hajj Board if flight was not made available for them on Saturday to embark on the journey to Mecca.
Source:GNA

Foreign Affairs alerts public about Omni Canada

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and NEPAD on Friday urged the public to disregard adverts by a Canadian firm known as Canada Hotel Omni or Omni Canada, on internet seeking to employ workers to be employed in Hotels in Quebec and Montreal.

"The Ministry wishes to state that it cannot confirm the veracity of this information provided by the above named company and will accordingly advise the general public to disregard the advertisement,"These were contained in a statement issued and signed by Mr Sayuti Yahaya-Iddi, Acting Director, Information and Linguistic Bureau of the Ministry in Accra.

The Ministry noted that in the said advertisement, Canada Hotel Omni or Omni Hotel Canada had indicated that it would be responsible for accommodation and airfare of suitable candidates with salaries ranging from 2,800- 7,500 dollars.

Iraq war is my worst moment - Annan

At his farewell news conference as the world's top diplomat, United Secretary-General Busumuru Kofi Annan cited the failure to stop the Iraq war as the worst moment of his 10 years in office and made a fervent appeal that the Organization should not be judged by the Iraqi Oil-for-Food Scandal but by its myriad humanitarian and development actions."




I think the worst moment was the Iraq war, which as an Organization we couldn't stop and I really did everything I can to try to see if we could stop it," he replied when asked what he considered the top achievements and three worst moments of his tenure.




A statement issued by the UN Information Centre in Accra on Thursday said Busumuru Annan cited among the achievements the UN's human rights efforts; the war against inequality both between and within States and the battle for development as epitomized by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that sought to slash a host of social ills, such as extreme hunger and poverty; infant and maternal mortality and lack of access to education and health care, all by 2015.



But he devoted his most fervent appeal to a plea that the UN should not be judged by the Iraq Oil-for-Food Scandal after which an Independent Inquiry Committee found mismanagement on the part of Busumuru Annan's administration and corruption largely on the part of private companies in connection with the scheme to allow the sanctions-bound regime of Saddam Hussein to sell oil and use a portion of the revenues to purchase food and humanitarian supplies.


"I think that when historians look at the records they will draw the conclusion that, yes, there was mismanagement and there may have been several UN staff members engaged but the scandal, if any, was in the capitals and with the 2,200 companies that made a deal with Saddam behind our backs and of course I hope the historians will realize that the UN is more than oil-for-food," he said.




"That was a very special programme, the oil-for-food we were asked to implement. So please don't generalize from the particular."Beyond the Iraq War and oil-for-food, Busumuru Annan mentioned the bombing of the UN's Baghdad Headquarters in 2003 that killed 22 people, including the top Envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.





"They were not just colleagues, they were true friends and I think nothing had hit me as much as almost the loss of my twin sister," he said.Among the achievements he cited first the adoption by the UN World Summit last year of the principle that Members States had the responsibility to protect their citizens. Secondly he mentioned the determination to cut inequality among and within States. "






A world where you have extreme poverty and immense wealth side by side is not sustainable,=94 he said, noting the UN's work on diseases from HIV/AIDS to bird flu. Thirdly, he said he had made the UN 93a truly partnership organization=85 realizing from the beginning that we couldn't do everything and we had to know what we can do, what others do better and what we have to do with others."
Source:GNA

Cocaine Bust At Tema

A joint team of security agencies from Accra and Tema yesterday arrested three persons over their alleged role in the importation of over 15 slabs of a substance which tested positive for cocaine. The slabs of cocaine were found in a traveling duffel bag on top of 4000 boxes of yoghurt.

The operation led by ASP Adamu Seidu was undertaken by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the Ministry of National Security, the Narcotic Control Board (NACOB) and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS).The three suspects are Michael Ayacht, a Greek national who is Managing Director of Market Direct, the company which imported the container, Mohammed Salami, a Lebanese and a certain Isaac Quansah, a clearing agent.

Market Direct, is an affiliated company to CCTC, a rice-importing conglomerate off Spintex Road in Accra.The substance, weighing 19.9 kilos with a street value of $17,000, was concealed in a 40-footer container with registration number 6646380 belonging to the shipping magnate, Mersk Line.

According to a security source, the substance was tested in the presence of the suspects and found to be narcotic drugs, after which the substance and the suspects were transferred to the Police Headquarters where they are being held.Daily Guide learnt yesterday that the security agencies had been on heightened alert after a tip-off that a vessel was approaching Ghana from Peru in Central America with illicit substance on board.

A source close to Market Direct has however denied that the substance found in the container belonged to the company.Speaking exclusively to the paper yesterday on the breaking news, the source said the allegations were part of attempts to tarnish the hard-won reputation of the company. He noted that the Group had been under attack for the last quarter of this year and they were even currently in court with a media house that had published a false story about them.

He clarified further that Market Direct Ltd most often imported all its goods through the internet, and the managing director under investigations does not even go to the port for clearance. As a matter of fact, yesterday was the first time the Managing Director went to the port when he was invited by the security agencies. As company policy, he defended, all goods were handled solely by the clearing agent and if Michael wanted to import an illicit item alongside the company's goods, he would likely have gone to the port himself.“The Managing Director does not even know the supplier, Messrs Trading Company in person because all transactions have been via the internet.

Details of all his transactions and communications with the supplier in question are available for all to see on his PC.”Narrating the sequence of events, the sources said yesterday, Michael was invited to the port by the security officers and Customs.

He went there boldly and willingly. Had he known about this item in the container, Michael would have run away immediately he heard that he was wanted at the port. He would not have gone there.Accompanied by other officials of the company to Tema, they were shown a container loaded with their legitimate goods, but seated on the top of a stack of yoghourt was a traveling bag.

The bag was the first thing one saw immediately one opened the container, he said, challenging, why was it not hidden but rather exposed like that? This is a complete frame-up, he concluded.The customs officials alleged however that the bag contained an illicit product and upon examination, was found to be cocaine.

The defender of Market Direct said they were shocked because ever since they’d been doing business in Ghana over for 10 years now, distributing their products throughout Africa, they had never been confronted with such a problem.“The value of the cocaine they said was $17,000 in Ghana, while Finatrade Foundation, a charitable wing of the company, had over ¢3 billion provided annually for charitable services.

Out of this it doles out scholarships to about 66 University students in Ghana,” he disclosed.