A Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described the unanimous election of Dr. Ibn Chambas as the new Executive Secretary of ECOWAS as "great and direct dividends of the policy of good neighbourliness" being vigorously pursed by President J.A. Kufuor.

The Director who wants to remain anonymous emphasised that since President Kufuor assumed the mantle of Head of State he has been doing everything possible to establish rapport, cordial and brotherly relations with presidents of Ghana's immediate neighbours as well as others in the sub-region. "His conviviality with his neighbours have so far achieved remarkable success culminating to the unanimous election of Dr. Chambas as the Chief Executive officer of ECOWAS," he observed.

The foreign officer said it was gratifying that the President has within a comparatively short time managed to thaw difficult and intractable differences which existed between Ghana and its neighbours.

He observed that Heads of ECOWAS no longer look at Ghana with suspicion, fear and contempt. This policy of transparency and genuine love from the Ghanaian President will no doubt help promote trade, commence and communication in the sub-region.

The Director remarked, "to me this is a great sign of Positive Change in our foreign policy direction. There has never been a time when the relationship between us and our neighbours has been so good, cordial and harmonious since the past 20years."

Previously, he lamented, presidents in the sub-region regarded each other with suspicion and doubt but within a competitively short time of his administration, President Kufuor, has removed the hindrance towards good neighbourliness.

He observed that President Kufuor is held in high esteem and much respected by his colleagues outside the country for his fairness, transparency and quiet diplomacy and this helped Ghana to win the ECOWAS top position.

The Director observed that the President, who served his tutelage in diplomacy under imminent and distinguished personalities like the late Victor Owusu and Paa Willie when he was a deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, is yielding great dividends and success.

He revealed that officers of MOFA are very happy and their spirits very high. According to the Director the President himself has ordered a substantial allocation of ambassadorial positions to career diplomats and this has earned him a lot of commendation by the staff, "All we are praying for is that there will not be dramatic change of policy in this regard," he said.

The senior diplomat said,"when you travel on a delegation with him and his top advisers, you don't sense any discrimination, inferiority complex or fear. The President treats everybody as a human being."

He remarked that "the President is easily approachable and interacts with everybody freely and shares jokes with us, we go to table together. The President on seeing you will give you the usual courtesies and salutations as a civilized man. The only difference is his towering and consummate personality which dwarfs all of us. He is indeed a gentle giant. We at MOFA love him."