US Embassy, Foreign Affairs Ministry to meet Christian Council over two GITMO detainees

Officials of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and US Embassy are due to meet members of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) later today following the Council’s condemnation of government’s acceptance of the two Guantanamo Bay terrorist suspects.Oman News has learnt that the meeting was called by Hon. Hannah Serwaa Tetteh, Foreign Affairs Minister. Ghana is expected to provide shelter for the two Yemeni terror suspects Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby.

The two were in detention for 14 years after being picked up in Afghanistan and suspected to have been linked to the terrorist group Al-Qaeda. The Christian Council of Ghana has demanded the two suspects be sent out of the country.“The non-engagement of civil society and other stakeholders on such sensitive security issue that affects the common good of the nation has put all of us at risk as the ordinary people don’t know what is required of them in the current potential security threat” statement signed by General Secretary of the Council, Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong said.He recalled the rejection of the establishment of the United States Africa Command (U.S. AFRICOM) in 2007, and called for same.

He pointed out even though Ghana does very well in handling refugees, the two “are not ordinarily prisoners…They have strong terrorist background that we can’t wish away”.In solidarity with the Christian Council, the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council in a statement indicated that they are unhappy with government’s move.

The Council said government’s decision is extremely dangerous to the security of the country.But the US government says the two pose no threat to Ghana’s peace.Reacting to the issues, Daniel Fennel, Head of Public Affairs at the US Embassy told Oman News that an “exhaustive background” check on the two terrorist suspects were done and explaining that “they do not pose any specific threat.”

Revealing that Yemen refused to accept their own returning nationals, Daniel Fennel admitted that even though precaution was taken before bringing them to Ghana, “there are no guarantees in the world of anyone’s behavior or any country”.

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