Accra, Jan. 24, GNA - Ghana and Germany on Saturday began bilateral talks in Accra with President John Agyekum Kufuor announcing that Germany had expressed interest in sponsoring a 50-kilometre stretch of the Accra - Kumasi Highway.

President Kufuor said German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who ends a two-day visit to Ghana on Saturday, had told him of the interest of his country in the road.

The talks opened after the two leaders had inaugurated the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre at Teshie in Accra. Germany is expected to announce the cancellation of some of Ghana's debts owed the European country under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC).

President Kufuor said Ghana and Germany had cordial ties in several areas pointing out that the relationship was not only limited to government-to-government interaction, but also extended to professionals from Ghana working in Germany.

Chancellor Schroeder said Germany was assisting Ghana because it had taken its destiny into its hands and was playing its part in global peace building.

He said he had told Germans that Ghana was giving off its best and, therefore, needed to be helped since those who gave needed to take back. Chancellor Schroeder, who arrived in Ghana on Friday night as part of an African tour that had already taken him to Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa, was the guest at a State Banquet hosted by President Kufuor at which he urged Germany to be an advocate for Africa's development within the G-8 and the European Union (EU).

He said Germany could prevail upon other members of the G-8 and the EU to summon the moral courage to confront the challenge of eliminating trade and other invisible barriers that were holding back Africa's development.

"If these barriers persist our bid to fashion a single economic entity under ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) would face great difficulty. The same is true of NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development), which has won the unanimous endorsement of Germany and the G-8."