Foreign Minister Hackman Owusu-Agyeman yesterday told The Accra Daily Mail that government's decision to allow the US to use Ghana as a hub for its evacuation exercise from Cote d'Ivoire was normal and in line with international conventions. He was reacting to issues raised by Ghana's increasingly loquacious and oftentimes misleading radio commentators that Ghana may be drawn into some international problems as a result.

Choosing his words carefully, he said, "It is normal for any country seeking to evacuate its citizens from a conflict area to a peaceful haven".

He said Ghana's gesture was not only humanitarian, but also the close proximity - only 45 minutes away by air -made it convenient for the US and other countries whose citizens have been traumatised by the current conflict in Cote d'Ivoire to use Ghana as their first point of call in their evacuation exercise.

"You do not take such victims from frying pan to fire," he explained, therefore because of the safe haven they would get in Ghana, they selected to come to Ghana "and we gave them approval".

He disclosed that India had also asked for 360 of her citizens to be evacuated to Ghana, which the Ghanaian authorities had agreed to.

He said the exercise is not a "staging point to attack, and moreover, Americans are our friends".

A United States Special Forces team had arrived in Ghana early Wednesday en-route for an evacuation mission of American school children trapped in a school basement following fighting in Cote d'Ivoire.

The Public Affairs Officer of the US Information Centre, David Queen told the GNA in an interview in Accra that the military personnel and a number of aircraft had arrived at the Kotoka International Airport.

He said the troops, who are well resourced, flew in from the European Command of the US Armed Forces in Germany and would be stationed temporarily at the Ghana Air Force Base awaiting orders to move into the strife-torn city of Bouake in Cote d'Ivoire should the need arise.

Mr Queen said at present the US was collaborating with Ghana, France and the government of Cote d'Ivoire in evaluating the situation before sending the troops there.

Ghana on Tuesday offered her territory to facilitate the rescuing of American nationals trapped in the standoff between the Ivorian government and rebel soldiers after last Thursday's attempted coup.

The three US military planes brought an estimated 200 troops and equipment.

The deployment - at the request of the US ambassador came as Ivorien army troops are trying to recapture Bouake.

France - the former colonial power - has also reinforced its military presence in Cote d'Ivoire with the intention of evacuating foreigners.

A force of about 250 French soldiers is 60km from Bouake, a French military spokesman told the BBC's World Today programme.

In an interview with the BBC, Lieutenant-Commander Donald Sewell said that the US forces were in West Africa, "to be in a closer position to be able to provide for the safety of American citizens".

He denied that they had a specific military operation planned but said that the US forces were in close contact with the French military units in Cote d'Ivoire.

The French military spokesman told the BBC that the French troops were liaising with American and British officers in Abidjan.