{"id":411669,"date":"2018-03-21T14:46:58","date_gmt":"2018-03-21T14:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=411669"},"modified":"2018-03-22T06:22:33","modified_gmt":"2018-03-22T06:22:33","slug":"ndc-mp-walks-out-of-cttee-meeting-over-us-military-camp-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2018\/03\/ndc-mp-walks-out-of-cttee-meeting-over-us-military-camp-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"NDC MP walks out of C’ttee meeting over US ‘military camp’ deal"},"content":{"rendered":"
A Member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament, Rockson Dafeamekpor, today [Wednesday], walked out of a meeting to consider an\u00a0agreement with the\u00a0United States<\/strong><\/span><\/a> of America for a defence cooperation arrangement, that will allow them to have a camp in Ghana for its military forces.<\/p>\n Mr. Dafeamekpor, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority, said the agreement that had been brought before the House for ratification had not been signed by government, hence his decision to leave the meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a Member of Parliament, I cannot be part of a process that will go and vary the terms of a memorandum that is yet to be signed. There is no signature on the memorandum. The memo accompanying the memorandum to Parliament says in paragraph three that Cabinet approved the memorandum and approved and recommended same for Parliament for ratification. So the exercise we are being called upon to engage in is to ratify. We are simply to look at it and by consensus or voting approve of the agreement,” he said.<\/p>\n [contextly_sidebar id=”yarlq2RMkBDDoIVTOrhjNzVVeFN5bOxT”]\u201cThe document they have brought to Parliament is neither an agreement nor a Bill. So we are asking the government to do the appropriate thing. They should take back the memorandum, execute it and bring it to Parliament for our ratification.\u201d<\/p>\n Nitiwul lays document in Parliament <\/strong><\/p>\n The Minister of Denfense, Dominic Nitiwul, on Tuesday laid before Parliament a document seeking to ratify an agreement for space around the Kotoka International Airport, which will serve as a camp for some US military forces in Ghana.<\/p>\n The agreement will among other things, exempt the US government from paying taxes on equipment that is brought to Ghana.<\/p>\n They will also be given the chance to set their own telecommunication system, although they will be allowed to use Ghana\u2019s radio spectrum free of charge.<\/p>\n Although many Ghanaians have expressed resentment over the clauses of the agreement, the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, said the agreement is in the best interest of Ghana<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n