AMCIT DIRECTOR OF AMERICAN INVESTOR IN GHANA

UNCLAS ACCRA 002141 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS FOR CA/OCS/ACS/AF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CA EAGR ECON ETRD SUBJECT: AMCIT DIRECTOR OF AMERICAN INVESTOR IN GHANA COTTON COMPANY IS SAFE REF: SECSTATE 222220 ¶1. (SBU) Amcit Rasheed Nouri, country director for GhanAmer Farms (reftel),which is the majority owner of the Ghana Cotton Company (GCC),is safe after being thrown out of the company office by disgruntled employees. According to Mr. Nouri, eleven employees of the Ghana Cotton Company accompanied by a union representative entered his office in Accra on the afternoon of October 27. The group read a letter detailing employee complaints, told Mr. Nouri he had until noon the following day to leave the country and then threw Mr. Nouri out of the office and surrounding compound. Mr. Nouri contacted USG officials in Washington who in turn contacted Post's RSO. RSO made contact with Mr.Nouri in the evening of the 27th and determined that he was not a hostage nor in immediate physical danger, provided emergency contact information and relayed this to Washington. ¶2. (SBU) EconOff spoke with Mr. Nouri on the morning of October 28. Mr. Nouri stated that, contrary to initial reports, he had not been a hostage at any time. DCM later called President Kufuor's Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani and expressed Post's concern for Mr. Nouri's safety and hope that the dispute between GhanAmer Farms, GCC employees and GCC's former owner and primary debt holder, the parastatel Agriculture Development Bank (ADB),could be resolved in a peaceful and businesslike manner. The Chief of Staff promised to speak directly with ADB's board of directors that day. ¶3. (SBU) EconOffs also met with ADB CEO and board members to express Post's concern. Subsequent follow-up with Mr. Nouri on the evening of October 28 confirmed that the workers had left and that the ADB board had met with him after hours in order to revive the dialogue between the parties. EconOffs will remain in close contact with Mr. Nouri, ADB officials and the Chief of Staff's office to monitor negotiations. YATES