General News of Wednesday, 25 August 2010

Source: GNA

Kufuor leaves Accra for Kenya, Tanzania and South Korea

Accra, Aug. 25, GNA - Former President John Agyekum Kufuor leaves Accra on Wednesday evening for Nairobi, Kenya, at the invitation of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, to participate in the launch of the new Kenyan Constitution, on Saturday, August 27.

Kenyans early this month, voted overwhelmingly for a new constitution to replace the one that was drafted during the colonial era and which had been in force till now.

The constitution, which was approved by about 70 per cent votes, sets out a Bill of Rights, creates a National Land Commission, and de-centralises political power.

Kenya's last elections in 2007 ended in bloodshed with about 1,000 people being killed.

Former President Kufuor, then Chairman of the African Union (AU) set up a three-member committee under the leadership of Dr Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, which helped to return the country to normalcy.

This was contained in a statement issued in Accra and signed by Mr Frank Agyekum, Spokesperson at the Office of Former President Kufuor.

It said from Kenya, President Kufuor would travel to Dar-es-Salam, Tanzania, for a meeting of the African Forum, a platform of former democratically elected Heads of State of Africa of which President Kufuor is a member.

The statement said Former President Kufuor, would also go to Seoul, South Korea, to participate in the second preparatory meeting of the Technical Committee that is drafting the agenda for the October meeting of the G-20 in Seoul.

Former President Kufuor is on the committee as representative of the Madrid Club, which is the largest gathering of formerly democratically elected Heads of State.

He returns home on September 5.