Accra, Dec. 21, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday wished Ghanaians a Merry Christmas and a Happy Prosperous New Year and called on the people to celebrate the festive season with gratitude and rejoice over what the Lord had done for them.

In a press release signed by Mr Andrew Awuni, Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman, President Kufuor said "a thankful heart opens doors for greater blessings". He prayed that the Christmas and the New Year would bring Ghanaians the hope they carry and that the gift of salvation would be made real in the hearts of all and experienced to the full in the coming year. "There is no doubt that God has been good to Ghana in spite of the numerous global challenges that we have faced severally and collectively in the past."

President Kufuor thanked Ghanaians for the cooperation given him and his Government so far and called for further cooperation and understanding in the coming year. He further urged the people to stop talking themselves down and to make a vow never to return to bad ways of the past. "Let us square up our shoulders and with our chests out, stand up and be counted, for our country, Ghana, has certainly regained her place of pride in Africa and the World."

President Kufuor appealed to Ghanaians to forgive one another and be reconciled with each other as a people regardless of their ethnicity, religion, regional and or political affiliations, as 2007, which is also the country's Jubilee Year, is ushered in. He said the Government stood ready, in all humility and magnanimity, to lead the country in its forward march into bright and prosperous future that had been prepared for it.