Hope to leave with better understanding of security barrier issue. Call on Israel to increase bilateral contacts with African countries.

Ghana's ambassador to UN and five other African ambassadors to the UN are currently touring Israel on a semi-official fact finding mission. The group has been jointly organized and hosted by the Israeli foreign ministry and Michael Landau, an American-Jewish political activist with close ties to the conservative wing of the Republican party.

The group includes the permanent UN ambassadors of Uganda, DRC, Rwanda, Cote d? Ivoire and Benin, which is currently a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

The purpose of the visit is to enable the UN ambassadors to have a better understanding of the complex issues surrounding the security barrier, in advance of any possible future UN debate after the ICJ renders its verdict on the issue of the barrier, following the completion of the Hague hearings.

At a reception held last night at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, all the guests said they believe they would be leaving Israel with a better comprehension of the security problems it faces, and the role the barrier could play in helping to alleviate them. Several of them said they now realize that the barrier is not a Berlin Wall type of structure, as they had previously envisioned it.

They all called upon Israel to be more proactive in its relationship with Africa. The Ugandan ambassador noted that it was the US that had approached his delegation at the UN over the barrier issue, not Israel. ?Why talk to us via the US and not directly?? he asked?

The group will be in Israel until Wednesday, and has been meeting with a variety of public figures including President Katzav, MKs, journalists and prominent businessmen.