Muhammed Al-Dhuby and Muhammed Bin-Atef
Parliament yesterday officially ratified the agreement reached between the Governments of Ghana and the United States in August, 2015 over the resettlement of two former detainees from the Guantanamo Bay in Ghana.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has now agreed to allow the two former Yemeni detainees to complete their settlement term which will expire on January 6, 2018.
Presenting a report of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament before the ratification yesterday, the chairman of the committee and NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam/Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, said that the ratification became necessary as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling on June 22, 2017 that parliament should ratify the agreement within three months or the detainees be sent back.
“The ratification of the agreement will further strengthen the cordial relationship between the Government of Ghana and the Government of United States of America,” the chairman said.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh said even though the agreement was by Note Verbale, accompanied by a Memorandum of Understanding, the Supreme Court said in line with Article 75 of the Constitution, it was important for parliament to ratify the agreement, especially when the house is expected to rise today after two Ghanaians, Margaret Banful and Henry Nana Boakye, had challenged the constitutionality of the presence of the former detainees in Ghana.
According to the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would have to seek security advice from the Ministry of Interior before any application for asylum by the two former detainees could be considered at the end of the expiry of the agreement.
“The committee wanted to know whether there was any intention by the government to extend the stay of the detainees at the end of the expiry of the agreement in January, 2018. The ministry explained that there is no such consideration now as the decision is subject to the decision of the detainees to apply for asylum at the end of the expiry of the agreement,” he said, adding that the government does not intend to amend or change any of the obligations accepted by the previous government as contained in the Note Verbale but is only seeking the ratification of the agreement.
The minority members, led by their leader, Haruna Iddrisu and ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, were not happy about the new position of the government, saying that when the NPP was in opposition, it bastardized the NDC government for going into the agreement to accept the two Yemeni detainees – Muhammud Umar Muhammad bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby – to stay for two years in the country after which they could be given the option to apply for asylum.
The minority leader said that with the Supreme Court’s ruling, a precedent had been set and that parliament would have to require the government to bring any agreement or MoU between Ghana and any other country before it (parliament) for ratification.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr