Parliamentary committee defies public outcry to okay the ratification of Ghana-US military agreement

The chamber of Ghana’s parliament[/caption] Against all hue and cry against the ratification of the Ghana-US defense cooperation agreement, the joint committee of parliament setup to consider the agreement has recommended that the house ratifies the agreement for “mutual benefits”. According to the committee, “it has thoroughly examined the agreement and finds that its ratification would help provide a mutually beneficial arrangement for cooperation and readiness to combat emerging global security threats while enhancing the already existing relationship between the two countries in the area of security cooperations”. The report of the joint committee on Defense and Interior and Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary affairs, has  recommended “to the house to adopt this report and ratify by resolution, the agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Ghana on defense cooperation, the status of United State forces, and access to and use of agreed facilities and areas in the Republic of Ghana in accordance with article 75(2)(b) of the 1992 constitution and the standing orders of the house”. Termination point for the agreement The committee has also stated that the minister for defense drew their attention to the the concluding part of the termination of agreement clause which reads as follows: “…it shall remain in force unless terminated by either party on one year’s written notice to the other party through diplomatic channels”. It was the committee’s understanding that the agreement can be terminated when the need be using the termination clause. This is against public notion that the agreement is for life. What it means for the agreement to be ratified The ratification of the agreement by parliament which has already been approved by cabinet will grant US military personnel, defense contractors and agents among other executive officials unrestricted access to Ghanaian facilities for military and humanitarian purposes, a situation many fear will compromise the sovereignty of the country BY P.D Wedam|3news.com|Ghana]]>