ECOWAS Summit postponed for security concerns

The annual ECOWAS Heads of State and Government Summit that was scheduled for Friday December 22nd 2006 in Ouagadougou Burkina Faso has been postponed for security reasons.

This followed a gun battle between some police and military personnel in that country during the greater part of Wednesday December 20, 2006.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo Minister of Foreign Affairs, who had earlier attended the Ministerial Session of the Summit, told newsmen on arrival at the Kotoka International Airport that details of the conflict were not immediately available.

He said unofficial information said news of a soldier who allegedly died after being arrested by police personnel sparked the violence.

The Foreign Minister said the Summit, which would have been the last to be held under the old ECOWAS organization, was expected to come off early next year.

ECOWAS has now been transformed from an Executive Secretariat to a Commission. Ms. Shirley Ayorkor Botwe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and some officials of the Foreign Ministry accompanied Nana Akuffo Addo.