Accra, July 31, GNA - Former UN Secretary General Busummuru Kofi Annan on Tuesday appealed to politicians to be mindful of their words and to avoid inflammatory declarations as they campaigned for Election 2008. He reminded Members of Parliament that words could soothe or inflame, calm or incite and, therefore, as Leaders they had to exhibit maturity and play by the rules of decent campaigning.

Busummuru Annan was addressing a special closing ceremony of the Third Session of the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic organized in his honour in Accra.

The Former UN Secretary General said in order to achieve security and development, there was the need to respect human rights and the rule of law.

He said it was imperative for societies to respect diversity of opinion, participation and equal opportunity.

"I am convinced that you will continue to distinguish between the means you use and what is our ultimate aim and goal: Expanding opportunities for all and building vibrant, stable and prosperous democracy," Busummuru Annan said.

He recalled a lecture he delivered as part of Ghana's 50th Independence celebrations in which he said the renaissance and progress of Africa hinged on security, development and human rights, declaring: "I am happy that in each one of these areas, Ghana's progress is being felt and recognized."

Busummuru Annan said despite the spread of peace, Africa as a continent was far from that goal.

"Peace may be spreading, but a continent at peace ... remains a distant goal.

"Fortunately, most Africans have come to realize the high cost of persistent conflict: Years of squandered development, the enormous loss of life and displacement of people.

"And most realize that they need to work together to pacify the Continent."

The Former UN Secretary General said the world's recognition of Ghana's leadership role within the African Union that had given impetus to the peace processes that required care and utmost commitment such as conflicts in Cote d'Ivoire, Burundi and DR Congo.

He called for continuous efforts for solutions to conflicts in Darfur and Somalia and that the role Ghana played was respected because of what the country had achieved.

Busummuru Annan said the recent World Bank governance indicators demonstrated Ghana's progress in accountability; political stability; government effectiveness; rule of law and control of corruption. He said that Ghana had lived through many ups and downs since it attained independence in 1957, with economic shocks and near collapse in the early 1980s, but the fortunes seemed to be moving in the right direction.

"Our fortunes seem to be moving in the right direction, with growth rates of around six per cent a year in virtuous cycle that has reduces poverty incidence from 52 per cent in 1992 to 35 per cent in 2003. "And this is not the end, for Ghana, is set to surpass the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty by 2015."

Busummuru Anna cautioned that the recent oil discovery in Ghana should not become a discouragement but rather should complement the nation's efforts so that it would avoid the "oil curse". The Former UN Secretary General urged Ghana to strengthen its democratic culture as was in the case of Malaysia, which attained independence at a similar time but had built its democracy to turn its economic fortunes around.

Busummuru Annan said Malaysia had a per capita income 13 times higher than Ghana and that country was highly industrialized with the state-of-art infrastructure, modern services and strong research and technology capacity.

"I would very gladly have traded the palm oil trees we gave Malaysia in the 1950s for a framework of parliamentary government that contributed to their robust democracy. For me that foundation was more important than any possible geographic and other factors mentioned when assessing the Malaysian success."

Busummuru Annan urged Africans to develop self-confidence, and believe in its own capacities to transform the Continent. He called on the G8 nations to meet their promises of aid to Africa that would be combined with effective leadership to turn the Continent around. 31 July 05