Accra, March 4, GNA - The Ministry of Defence is indebted to the Customs and Preventive Services and the VAT Secretariat to the tune of 69.5 billion cedis and also owes the Tema Oil Refinery a sum of 59.6 billion cedis.

These are contained in the report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and Interior, which also said the military by law was required to pay duties on imported equipment and stores. The Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Joseph Darko-Mensah, presented the report in Parliament on Thursday.

He was seconding a motion for the approval of 636.0 billion cedis for the Ministry of Defence for the 2004, fiscal year, which was later approved by the house.

Mr Darko-Mensah said: "Due to the unavailability of funds to pay duties on these items, and the urgency with which these equipment are required, the military usually applies for permit to clear the equipment and stores."

He said the situation has given rise to the outstanding import duty

Mr Darko-Mensah said the Armed Forces presently had problems of ageing soldiers and needed to recruit 3000 new personnel. He said 103.1 billion cedis would be required to pay gratuities of soldiers to be retired and 22.5 billion cedis for salaries for new recruits.

Mr Darko-Mensah said arrangements were far advanced to procure four transport helicopters for the Ghana Armed Forces' external UN Peacekeeping operations with part of the 55 million dollars Barclays loan facility.

Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, the sector Minister, said the Defence Ministry would continue to improve civil-military relations. He said the ministry would provide logistic infrastructure for rapid response and improve human resource capacity and professionalism as part of its programmes for this year.

Alhaji Suman Abubakari, NDC-Choggu-Tishigu, and Alhaji Malik Alhassan Yakubu, NPP-Yendi, both commended the military for their excellent performance over the years, especially in international peacekeeping and asked for more support for the military.

Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey, (RTD) Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said security was important for national development and adding that internal security should be beefed up by, for instance, stationing permanent soldiers in towns such as Bawku and Yendi.