The Public Affairs Counselor of the US Embassy in Ghana, Daniel Fennell, has backtracked on his assertion that Ghana and the US will be sharing the cost for the upkeep and security of the two former Guantanamo detainees repatriated from the US to seek refuge in Ghana.
The assertion made on TV3’s Hot Issues programme yet to be aired on Saturday, came as a shock to many as it contradicted the Government of Ghana’s earlier claim, that Ghana will not commit any financial resources for the upkeep of the two.
“It’s a shared expense…we are contributing some for the monitoring and upkeep of the individuals. We are contributing some money towards that and the government of Ghana is making all the arrangements and taking care of them,” he said.
When the Host of the progamme, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. probed further on whether government was using tax payers’ money to take care of the former Guantanamo inmates, Mr. Fennel said “I think so” saying “is that so difficult to imagine that Ghana would pay for something that is happening in Ghana?”
But in what appears to be a sudden U-turn that even makes the matter murkier, Mr. Fennell told Bernard Avle on the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday, that his comments were misunderstood.
He thus apologized for the comment he made on TV3.
“I think it’s laudable and we should be proud of Ghana,” he added. Mr. Fennel also said the security of the former detainees is also “a shared cost.” “The government of Ghana under the constitution is responsible for the security of everything in Ghana so they are keeping track at it, they are better at it, they are smart and we think they are doing an excellent job,” he noted.
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AfanyiDadzie