No. 382-01 IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 17, 2001 (703)697-5737(public/industry) (703)695-0192(media)

The Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) will hold its first Sub-Regional Seminar (SLS) in Accra, Ghana, from August 20-24, 2001. With a focus on conflict prevention, the West Africa Seminar will complement ongoing international and local efforts to promote peace and stability in West Africa. More than 80 military officers, civilian officials, parliamentarians and civic leaders from most West African States, three European nations, the United States, the United Nations, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and numerous non-government organizations are expected to attend.

"The Africa Center initiated this seminar as part of its larger mission to support democratization and security throughout the continent," said Nancy J. Walker, ACSS director. "The West Africa Seminar is intended to enhance regional capabilities by working with participants to formulate practical, sustainable strategies to prevent conflict. The theme for this seminar emerged from on-going consultations with African and U.S. Government leaders."

Participating dignitaries will include the new African Union Secretary General, Amara Essy; Deputy Commander in Chief of U.S. European Command, Gen. Carlton Fulford; United Nations Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Ibrahima Fall; ECOWAS Deputy Executive Secretary, General Cheick Oumar Diarra; Ghanaian Minister of Defense, Kwame Addo-Kufuor; Ghanaian Attorney General, Nana Akufo-Addo; and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Robert Perry, among others. Twelve esteemed academics, practitioners and military officers from Africa, Europe, and the United States will serve as meeting facilitators.

The ACSS is a U.S. Department of Defense-sponsored regional center for security studies. ACSS events unite senior African, European and American civilian officials, military officers, private citizens and representatives of intergovernmental organizations in activities designed to generate critical thinking about African security issues.

The West Africa Seminar will be conducted in partnership with the Government of Ghana.

For more information about the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, visit the center's website at http://www.africacenter.org. For further information regarding the seminar, contact Julie Werbel in Ghana at (233) 24 611 426.

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(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)