Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration, and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Akwasi Osei-adjei of Ghana

Akwasi Osei-Adjei is currently the Ghanian Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Mr Osei-Adjei described the economic aspect of the Non Alliance Movement as still relevant, but was not sure of its political aspects.

Mr Osei-Adjei said the institute would also provide the platform for retired and former diplomats to share their experiences with younger diplomats.

Osei-Adjei said it was not the government's intention to close the country's borders to inconvenience the free movement of people and goods.

Accra, Ghana (Peace FM Online) - - - The minister of foreign affairs, regional integration and NEPAD, Akwasi Osei-Adjei has said that severing relations with the Gambia over the killing of some Ghanaians in that country in July 2005 was not the best option.

Mr Osei-Adjei said the policy of good neighbourliness crafted by the Kufuor Administration had been pursued as a desirable foreign policy.

Mr Osei-Adjei said the system would also enhance efficiency in information retrieval by establishing internal mail exchange, public notices.

Akwasi Osei-Adjei has revealed that four (4) Ghanaian nationals have been executed in Libya this year for their involvement in cases of murder.

Mr Osei-Adjei said through NEPAD, the leadership in Africa assessed the continent as being in a dire state of poverty and committed themselves to a set of conditions in the areas of peace, security, democracy, political governance as well as economic and corporate governance.

Mr Osei-Adjei said the policy of good neighbourliness crafted by the Kufuor Administration had been pursued as a desirable foreign policy objective in the sub-region and beyond and had enhanced the image of the country.

Osei-Adjei said it was in pursuance of this objective that the Ministry has considered it important to organize the two-day conference to reassure them of government's commitment to free and fair elections and a smooth political transition.

At a meeting organised in honour of the visiting Vice-President,Alhaji Aliu Mahama, at the residence of Ghana’s Ambassador to Italy,Mr Osei-Adjei said in the new passports to be introduced,new features,known as biometrics,would be applied.

Mr Osei-Adjei said the contract for the replacement of the existing passports was being awarded to enable the replacement exercise to proceed in earnest.

On bilateral relations and the suffering of Ghanaians abroad,Mr Osei-Adjei said trade,cultural exchange and education negotiations were being considered.

But Osei-Adjei said plans for Kufuor to travel to Kenya to hold face-to-face discussions with the different parties had been suspended as Nairobi had not given the go-ahead.

Talking to IRNA on the sidelines of the NAM Ministerial Meeting on Human Rights and Cultural Diversity, Osei-Adjei said because a country's culture is different with that of another country one can not claim that human rights in that country has been observed or not.

Osei-Adjei said human rights is a matter of subjectivity.

Mr Osei-Adjei said in June 2007 when President Kufuor visited Libya, he raised the plight of the executed Ghanaians with the Libyan Leader, who promised to look into the matter.

Mr Osei-Adjei said without responding to the embassy's request, the Libyan authorities proceeded to execute the two by firing squad.

Mr Osei-Adjei said even though the Embassy of Senegal was unable to locate the family of the deceased Senegalese, it took it upon itself to offer clemency to the Ghanaian.

Mr Osei-Adjei said that further information from the Ghanaian Embassy in Libya revealed that as of the middle of 2007, there were over 200 Ghanaians in Libyan prisons for various crimes, including the possession of drugs, distillation of alcohol and prostitution, adding that about 100 of them had since benefited from amnesty and returned to Ghana.

Osei-Adjei said for his part that African states want to solve their problems through mutual cooperation.

Referring to Iran's achievements in different fields, Osei-Adjei said Ghana is keen on using Iran's valuable experience and achievements in different educational, agricultural, power, energy and economic fields.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD, Akwasi Osei-Adjei has said that severing relations with the Gambia over the killing of some Ghanaians in that country in July 2005 was not the best option.

Mr Osei-Adjei was responding to a series of supplementary questions regarding the death of some Ghanaian nationals allegedly in the hands of the Gambian security forces.

Mr Osei-Adjei said pieces of evidence gathered by the investigative team showed that the Ghanaians were murdered allegedly with cutlasses and machetes.

Mr Osei-Adjei said the recourse to an independent investigation under the aegis of ECOWAS and the United Nations provided a diplomatic way forward that brought the Gambian on board the process “to surrounding the unfortunate deaths of our compatriots in that country.

Mr Osei-Adjei said the system would also enhance efficiency in information retrieval by establishing internal mail exchange, public notices adding, “the project would be extended to Ghana’s Mission abroad to help and monitor our missions administrative and revenue management systems.

But Osei-Adjei said no decision had yet been taken on whether Kufuor would go to Kenya.

Osei-Adjei said Kufuor's primary concern was to secure an immediate ceasefire between supporters of Kibaki, an ethnic Kikuyu, and Odinga, a Luo.

Mr Osei-Adjei was also received in audience by Algerian Prime Minister, Abdelaziz Belkadem, during which the need to deepen the political and economic relations between Ghana and Algeria was further emphasized.