Accra (Greater Accra) 18 Jan. '99

Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Minority spokesman on Foreign Affairs today called for an immediate reconciliatory meeting between rebels and the government in Sierra Leone as part of efforts to restore peace in that country. He said the disturbances and atrocities in Freetown and its environs pose a threat to the investment drive of governments in the sub-region and steps at integrating and empowering member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Mr Owusu-Agyemang who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra condemned the alleged backing of the rebels by some countries particularly Liberia saying ''it is a sabotage''. It is unfortunate for any member of ECOWAS to fan and support rebel activities to bring instability or make states ungovernable in the sub-region, he said. Mr Owusu-Agyemang who is the Member of Parliament for New Juaben said the hundreds of dead bodies rotting on the streets of Sierra Leone ''does not speak well of West Africa and the African continent''. He condemned the ECOWAS Peace Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) for intervening in the war and rather urged them to intensify efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability. The Minority Spokesman also appealed to ECOMOG to convene an immediate meeting with the Sierra Leonean government, the rebels and all parties connected with the conflict to erase mistrust and suspicions among them.