The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has intervened to settle the dispute between Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, Inspector-General of Police, and Harriet Thompson, British High Commissioner.
The Ministry in a press release indicated that it “has noted with concern the intense public debate that has been generated by the communication between the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the British High Commissioner in Accra.”
“In line with the general diplomatic practice of communicating with diplomatic Missions, preferably through direct engagement, the Ministry wishes to remain circumspect on its pronouncements on the matter,” portions of the release stated.
The release added that “We have therefore initiated contact with both the British High Commissioner and Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to resolve the issue at stake.”
The Ministry assured of “its commitment to the strong historical bonds between Ghana and the United Kingdom, which through the years, have been deepened by, among others, the exchange of high-level visits on both sides as well as increased cooperation on trade, investments and security.
“We take this opportunity to reaffirm the bonds of friendship and cooperation between our two countries.”
Background
The British High Commissioner on May 17, tweeted, “Oliver Barker Vormawor, convener of #FixTheCountry Movement, arrested again, I understand for a motoring offence on his way to court. I’ll be interested to see where this goes.”
The tweet comes after officials from the Ghana Police Service’s Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) detained Mr. Barker-Vormawor on Tuesday, May 17 and charged him with reckless and inconsiderate driving. He was given bail in the amount of GH30,000 with two sureties.
The message, however, irritated the police, who reacted with a four-page letter signed by Dr. Akufo Dampare.
According to the Police, Madam Harriet Thompson’s post was “biased or uninformed,” and the UK High Commissioner’s tweet violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Harriet Thompson, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, was told by the Ghana Police Service to mind her own business.
However, in an interview with GHone TV, the UK High Commissioner claimed that she did not expect any answer from the IGP.
According to the British High Commissioner, the reaction to her tweet shows that “it was not received in the way that was intended.”
See Full Statement from The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration below:
SOURCE: myjoyonline
