Ghana’s Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul has described as untrue reports that cabinet has given approval for the United States military to set up a base in Ghana.
“There is nothing like a military base…the Americans are not setting up a military base [here],” he stated in an interview with Starr News’ Ibrahim Alhassan in a reaction to a leaked document detailing how the cabinet of the West African country has approved an agreement for the World’s super power to set up a military base in Ghana with unimpeded access to and use of agreed facilities and areas to U.S. forces and contractors.
“A military base technically will have not less than thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand even up to twenty thousand soldiers, he explained stressing that “no American base in the world has less than twenty thousand soldiers and that the soldiers who will be operating here are less than two hundred.”
Again in an earlier interview with an Accra-based Joy FM, the Defence Minister explained that the agreement government of Ghana had with the United States is to allow for the use of some facilities by the American military.
“We have agreed to use some facilities. They have requested for some facilities and we have agreed to allow them to use those facilities full stop at the airport “It is not a military base. We don’t set a military base at the airport. Nobody does that and nobody will do that. I just want to state that these are not new,” he pointed out.
Per the agreement with the United States, the military is allowed unrestricted access to a host of facilities and wide-ranging tax exemptions.
“All existing buildings, non-relocatable structures, and assemblies affixed to the land in agreed facilities and areas, including ones altered or improved by United States forces, remain the property of Ghana. Buildings constructed by United States forces shall become the property of Ghana, once constructed, but shall be used by United States forces until no longer needed by United States forces.
“United States forces shall return as the sole and unencumbered property of Ghana any agreed facility or area, or any portion thereof, including non-relocatable structures and assemblies constructed by United States forces, once no longer needed by United States forces. The Parties or their Executive Agents shall consult regarding the terms of return of any agreed facility or area, including possible compensation for improvements or construction.
“United States forces and United States contractors shall retain title to all equipment, materiel, supplies, relocatable structures, and other moveable property that have been imported into or acquired within the territory of Ghanaian connection with this Agreement,” Article 6 of the agreement reads.
“United States forces are hereby authorized to preposition and store defense equipment, supplies, and materiel (hereinafter referred to as prepositioned materiel) at agreed facilities and areas. The prepositioned materiel of United States forces and the agreed facilities and areas or portions thereof designated for storage of such prepositioned materiel shall be for the exclusive use of United States forces. United States forces shall retain title to and control over the use of prepositioned material and shall have the right to remove such items from the territory of Ghana,” Article 7 added.
“Ghana recognizes that it may be necessary for United States forces to use the radio spectrum. United States forces shall be allowed to operate its’ own telecommunication systems (as telecommunication is defined in the 1992 Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union). This shall include the right to utilize such means and services as required to ensure full ability to operate telecommunication systems, and the right to use all necessary radio spectrum for this purpose. Use of the radio spectrum shall be free of cost to United States forces.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
