SENATOR INHOFE MEETS WITH GHANA'S PRESIDENT KUFUOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L ACCRA 002251

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2014
TAGS: EPET GH MARR PGOV PTER
SUBJECT: SENATOR INHOFE MEETS WITH GHANA'S PRESIDENT KUFUOR


Classified By: PolChief Scott Ticknor for reasons 1.5 d and e.


1. (U) During a brief overnight visit to Accra on November
11, U.S. Senator James Inhofe met with Ghanaian President
John Kufuor and held a private evening meeting. Embassy
officers met the Senator at the airport and made
transportation, hotel and scheduling arrangements.


2. (C) The Ambassador, DCM and PolChief accompanied Senator
Inhofe and two of his staffers in a meeting with President
Kufuor at the Castle (the President's office). Senator
Inhoffe greeted President Kufuor warmly, noting he was a good
friend of the President and had visited Africa four times
over the past year. The focus of this trip was two-fold: 1)
discuss the possible formation of five ®ional brigades8
in Africa, identified by the African Union, which would train
for counter-terrorism activity, and 2) discuss Gulf of Guinea
oil issues, with a particular interest in stemming the
diversion of oil and oil revenues to criminals and
terrorists.


3. (C) Kufuor noted that West Africa was grappling with its
own security challenges. The Government of Ghana believes
Ghana has significant oil potential, President Kufuor
remarked, hoping that the U.S. would help in oil exploration
in Ghana. He repeated this request at the end of the
meeting, saying &we should be talking about oil a lot in the
next year.8 He said he would want to make more use of
businessman and presidential confidant Kwabena Darko as a
point man on oil and economic issues. (Note: Darko was in the
room and helped in organizing this meeting for Senator
Inhofe. Owner of Ghana,s largest chicken business, he
appears to be a trusted presidential aide on a range of
issues. End note.)

4. (C) The Senator said he expected we would be interested
in assisting Ghana in oil exploration. He invited President
Kufuor to the National Prayer Breakfast in the U.S. in
February, 2005. The President was noncommittal, saying he
would have to see if he was reelected.

YATES

YATES