Accra, Dec. 16, GNA - The Government is ready for the "transition" and smooth transfer of power to the incoming Administration, Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, Chief of Staff and Minister of Presidential Affairs, said on Tuesday.

"We are ready and are only waiting for the outcome of the December 28 Presidential runoff," he said.

He said a Cabinet Sub-Committee had been working on the Government's handing over notes over the past six weeks and a comprehensive report had been prepared. Speaking to newsmen at the Castle, Osu, he said, they did this by following through with a well-developed manual prepared under the Canadian Internati onal Development Agency's (CIDA) Governance Support Programme.

He said it had been their hope that by now teams from both sides, the Government and incoming Administration, would have been meeting to go through the Government's agenda and what needed urgent attention but for the inconclusive December 7 poll.

Mr Mpiani acknowledged that the runoff would certainly lead to a "very short transition" and said this perhaps should make the nation to take another look at the timing of the general election. He said if it would sit well with the new Government, the handing over could be done and the period of "transition" extended by about a week or two.

Already, Chief Directors of the various Ministries have prepared detailed handing over notes for the Ministers, he said. 16 Dec. 08