Damongo, (N/R), Nov. 17, GNA - Mr Ernest Debrah, the Northern Regional Minister, on Tuesday called on all Ghanaians to jealously guard the peace the country was currently enjoying towards national stability and development.

He said: "if the current conflict situations in neighbouring countries are anything to go by, then we must put high premium on peace since peace is fragile".

Mr Debrah who was addressing a meeting of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, which opened at Damongo, asked Ghanaians to be wary of the bad utterances and activities of people he called "agents provocateurs".

He urged Ghanaians to collectively defend the 1992 Constitution and the democratic dispensation and condemn people who engage in outbursts and "loose talks" that might incite the people into violence and subversion.

Mr Debrah commended the Ghana Bishops Conference for promoting peace and stability in the country by unequivocally condemning unethical behaviours and actions.

He noted that the timely interventions of the Conference in periods of crises had always helped to bring sanity to a nation drifting into stormy waters. Mr Debrah said: "everybody wants peace, everybody talks about peace and yet it keeps eluding mankind everywhere and every time". Even through people recognizes the need for peace and talk about it positively, their concerns are only cosmetic".

He praised the Catholic Church for the numerous development projects it had undertaken in the country.

Mr Yakubu Zakaria, West Gonja District Chief Executive, commended the Catholic Church for establishing a girls' Senior Secondary School in the district and appealed for the establishment of a Teacher Training college.