Mr. James Victor Gbeho, ex-diplomat and adviser to President J.E.A. Mills on Foreign Policy, has assured the public that government has its head properly screwed on and will not enter into any agreement with the United States of America if the people do not approve of it.

Ambassador Gbeho, as he is popularly called, was speaking on the planned visit of US President Barack Obama to Ghana on July 10 and 11, 2009, and what the visit portends for the nation.

Sections of the Ghanaian public have publicly objected to the US government’s desire to base its continental military force, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), in Ghana.

Speaking on Citi FM’s breakfast show Monday, Gbeho said Ghanaians have some justification to be apprehensive about the country’s relations with the United States, given the way the latter has conducted its affairs in Latin America, in Asia and other parts of the world.

“…there is a genuine fear; a fear that came to the forefront just before the visit of President Bush to this country recently; a fear that was articulated not by government but by the Ghanaian people through the media and so on; and which forced President Bush to deny a few things.”

Assessing public dissent against the AFRICOM project, he said far from being a done deal, the people can rest assured that the government has its head properly screwed on and would not betray the people’s trust.

“I think that the Americans know quite well that Ghanaian governments are terribly independent and that if we do not want the construction of a base, a military base on our territory, that will not happen. They would want it, they are looking desperately for bases in Africa because of the changing dynamics of international relations and they have approached a number of countries that have said no, largely because the regional organization that we all belong to, that is the African Union…, has it as one of its cornerstones that member countries shall not permit the construction of foreign military bases on the soil of Africa. Some countries have failed; they were not able to prevent this, but not Ghana and the United States knows that whatever it does with Ghana can be only in partnership approved of by Ghanaians and not by force or by coercion or through political chicanery.

“No, we will discuss these things very carefully; if it is in our common interest, Ghanaians will consider it and it will be of public interest … the present government of Ghana has promised to be transparent, it will put it on the table to be discussed nationally and a decision taken. But as of now, such a proposal has not come from the United States. The United States on the contrary has extended a hand of friendship and we will take it but assuring our people that this government has all its faculties in place and will protect the interest of this land of ours.”

Agreeing to US assertions that Ghana is one of its trusted partners globally, Victor Gbeho said there are a lot of positive developments in Ghana that should foster stronger cooperation between the two countries- the move from military to civilian rule, growing democracy, five successful elections, peace, security and stability, bilateral relations and cooperation with the US such as on AGOA and Ghana’s involvement in global peace.

Plus, he said, the fact that Ghana has also discovered oil and soon will be part of the big leagues – all account for the growing trust in the country.

He said Ghana has had a checkered history with the US, which predates independence in 1957.

It saw the US supporting Ghana’s construction of the Akosombo Hydroelectric Project, and later fell out because while the US wanted Ghana on her side of the Cold War, President Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, chose socialism and aligned with the East, and followed up later with the Non-Aligned movement.

Gbeho recalled that a time the US government protested against the Rawlings-led Provisional National Defence Council government’s ties with Libya and its leader, Muamar Al-Qathafi. That, he said was unfortunate, saying there was nothing anybody could do about it.

“The cornerstone of our foreign policy is that we will remain independent in our thoughts and in our deeds and that whatever we felt was good for this country was what we are going to do and not the bidding of another country.”

He also recalled that after the 1979 coup, Nigeria cut off oil supply to Ghana and “it was Libya that gave succor to this country (Ghana) in her moment of stress.”

“I don’t think it was right for any country to come from anywhere, no matter how powerful or influential, to come and say cut your relations with that country, and so we continued. All was not well with our relations with Libya at the time, not a hundred per cent, but, it was none of the business of the United States to tell us who to associate with and who not to associate with.”

He said sadly also, the US was busy “aiding and abetting” some Ghanaians to overthrow the PNDC government in the mid-80s for whatever purpose, until it realized that the government was doing better than any government they could establish. Eventually the US decided cooperation, leading to economic and political reforms, and the relation has been growing since the days of President Bill Clinton.

Story by Isaac Yeboah

Source:joy