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Automated screening of VIPs/Diplomats
at Ghanaian airport
Accra, July 10, GNA – The Ministry of Aviation in
collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is
instituting mechanisms at the Kotoka International Airport
(KIA) to screen diplomats and their correspondence, as well
as other VIPs.
Mr. Ahmed Hassan, Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs announced this in answer to a question by
Mr. Igor G. Degtyarev, Minister Counsellor of the Russian
Embassy, about the legitimacy of such a system in the face
of the Vienna Convention of 1961.
This followed a meeting hosted by Mr. Akwasi Osei-Adjei,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD
to brief members of the diplomatic corps on the outcome of a
recent conference on Africa and Ghana’s upcoming elections.
Article 27 of the Vienna Convention of 1961 on Diplomatic
Correlation prohibited the opening and searching of
diplomatic correspondence and packages and the detaining of
diplomats at entry points.
But Mr. Hassan explained that the process would be purely
automated screening and not physical opening of diplomatic
pouches, adding that it was for security reasons.
“This is done in many countries around the world even by
airline operators. In these days when illegal substances can
be packaged into all kinds of stuff by all kinds of people
we need to protect the national interest,” he said.
Mr. Hassan assured the diplomats that measures were being
put in place at the new VVIP lounge to ensure that the
screening process was smooth and quick with very few persons
involved to maintain some level of diplomatic privacy.
The screening process would allow security agents to see
foreign and illegal substance and nothing else, he added.
“We have already sent a circular to the various foreign
missions and we are collating responses before we take a
position on exactly what the process should entail. But I
must say that we have received some positive responses
already,” he said.
Mr. Osei-Adjei told the diplomats that the government would
ensure that the upcoming presidential and parliament
elections, scheduled for December 7, 2008 were free and fair
and held in a stable and peaceful environment.
He said efforts were underway to ensure that all conflict
areas, particularly in the Northern part of the country,
were stabilized to ensure that citizens could freely
exercise their democratic franchise.
Mr. Osei-Adjei noted that as a sign of the President’s
commitment to handing over power peacefully, transitional
plans were activated earlier in the year with a Special
Cabinet Session at Akosombo devoted to discussing smooth
transition.
“Democracy is the path we have chosen and it is the path we
shall maintain,” he said.
The Minister said till date, government had released a total
of GHc13,844,130 to the Electoral Commission as part of the
GHc42,618,504 required for the 2008 elections.
He said the EC was yet to apply for the remaining
GHc28,774,374 adding that government would, on its part,
ensure the timely release of the amount.
Mr. Osei-Adjei also briefed the diplomats about the outcome
of some regional deliberations including the 34th Ordinary
Session of the Authority of Heads of States and Governments
of ECOWAS, the 11th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of
Heads of States and Governments of the African Union and the
19th NEPAD and ninth African Peer Review Summits.
He noted that issues of major concern at all those
conferences were those of peace and security in individual
states, world food crises, soaring world oil prices, the
Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and how to facilitate
the process of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
in Africa state.
Mr. Osei-Adjei noted that at all those conferences, African
leaders declared their commitment to improve the economic
lot of their peoples through the vehicle of integration and
called on the international community represented by the
members of the diplomatic corps to support Africa in that
effort.
“You should understand that Africa’s economic development
and the survival of democracy on the continent are linked to
Africa’s unity. If Africa unites it will be in the interest
of the global economy,” he said.
He said African leaders also used the summits to call on the
European Union not to pressurize individual African states
into signing the interim EPA ahead of a critical examination
of the details of the full EPA.
He said the heads of states charged the African Union
Commission to study the EPA critically and report to the AU
Assembly before a final decision would be taken.
“One High point of the AU Summit was President John Agyekum
Kufuor’s farewell address to his colleagues since it was his
last as President of Ghana. He called on his colleagues to
pursue the objectives of achieving a union government and
ultimately the United States of Africa,” he said.
The briefing session was the first of its kind and the
Minister assured the diplomats that it would be held
regularly.
GNA
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