ECOWAS Chairman and Ghana’s President John Kufuor said in Abuja yesterday that nobody could stop the International Police Organisation (Interpol) from doing its work. Fielding questions from newsmen, the Ghanaian leader said: "Interpol is not under any state. If in its wisdom it decides to pursue a person, it is its business. Nobody will try to stop it." He was commenting on the warrant issued by Interpol for the arrest of former Liberian President Charles Taylor who is currently on asylum in Calabar.

Kufuor, however, said the organisation could not go after Taylor in Nigeria without the co-operation of the Federal Government. Interpol last week issued a warrant for Taylor’s arrest but Kufuor said the organisation could not achieve its objective without Nigeria’s co-operation.

He said ECOWAS heard about the news regarding the warrant for Taylor’s arrest but that it had not heard from the Nigerian government. It would be recalled that the UN-backed War Crimes Tribunal sitting in Sierra Leone earlier this year indicted Taylor of crimes against Sierra Leone. Answering a question, Kufuor said African countries had not taken any common position on Zimbabwe, which is currently on suspension from the Commonwealth. Zimbabwe and Pakistan, another country on suspension, were not invited to Abuja CHOGM 2003 which opened on Friday.

"If we begin to take decisions on the basis of race or region, we will undermine one of the fundamental principles which the Commonwealth stands for, the principle of taking decisions by consensus," Kufuor said. He said the six-member committee set up to deal with the issue of Zimbabwe was expected to submit its report to Commonwealth leaders by tomorrow. The Ghanaian president said Nigerians should be proud that their country was hosting the Commonwealth meeting for the second time since independence in 1960.