Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ACCRA136
2005-01-19 17:02:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Accra
Cable title:  

CTAG MEETING IN GHANA

Tags:  ASEC EFIN GH PREL PTER UK 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 000136 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2014
TAGS: ASEC EFIN GH PREL PTER UK
SUBJECT: CTAG MEETING IN GHANA

Classified By: Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates for reasons 1.5 d and e.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 000136

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2014
TAGS: ASEC EFIN GH PREL PTER UK
SUBJECT: CTAG MEETING IN GHANA

Classified By: Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates for reasons 1.5 d and e.


1. (C) Summary: The British High Commission convened a
CTAG meeting January 12 in preparation for a UK meeting on
January 28. The group agreed that there had been no
deterioration of the terrorist potential in Ghana, although
there were isolated concerns. The GOG has not presented
proposals for CT funding and appears more concerned about
cross-border trafficking of weapons and people than about
terrorism. The donors might push for a more proactive GOG
response, as well as progress on anti-money laundering. End
summary.


2. (C) The British High Commission convened his first CTAG
meeting January 12, 2004 in Accra in preparation for the UK
meeting scheduled for January 28 in London. High
Commissioner Gordon Weatherall informed the assembled G-8
plus colleagues that the January 28 meeting would focus on
Africa (Maghreb/Sahel/West, East and Horn of Africa) and on
Document Security. He said that UK missions in North, West
and East Africa were instructed to convene this meeting in
preparation. In attendance were representatives from G-8
countries plus Spanish, Swiss, Australian, and EU mission
heads.


3. (C) The four CTAG priorities for the UK's presidency
were as follows:

a) Greater operational focus: we will concentrate discussions
more on identifying specific needs and deciding how donors
can most effectively fill them, and less on general overviews
and theoretical frameworks.

b) More systematic use of the local meetings to inform the
main CTAG meetings and decisions about UK assistance.

c) Improve practical links between CTAG and relevant
international organizations, particularly the CTC and (on
terrorist financing) the IFIs;

d) Well prepared and focused discussion of areas (both
geographical and functional) which are priorities for us: the
January meeting will look particularly at Africa and at
Document Security; the April meeting at the Middle East and
at Terrorist Financing; and the November meeting at
South-East Asia and at Transport Security.


4. (C) The first agenda item was an assessment of the
current terrorist threat in Ghana. There was a consensus
that there had been no deterioration, but individuals related
stories of some ups and downs. The German Ambassador had
traveled widely in the north, meeting with numerous Imans and
had been told that the numbers of itinerant fundamentalist
Muslim preachers had diminished in the recent months. He had
also been told by these Imams that the Iranian and Saudi NGOs
were providing less money and fewer people to the north.
Ambassador Yates stated that our mission believed the
situation in Kumasi had worsened because of the publication
of several strongly worded anti-American tracks against the
Embassy's Muslim outreach. Others noted the increase in
Osama Bin-Ladin pictures in Ghana. Several members stated
that Ghana has more fear of cross-border trafficking of
weapons, goods and people than of international terrorism.
One way they counter this problem is to put senior
ambassadors and intelligence officers in neighboring
embassies to monitor.


5. (C) The participants again discussed on-going assistance
and the British HC referenced a synopsis of the November Sea
Island Georgia document which listed assistance by country.
Several amendments were offered. Most assistance is to
police, immigration authorities, and counter narcotics
efforts. Several mentioned that some bilateral assistance
would not be listed in a document like this because of the
nature of the assistance. Ambassador Yates reviewed the
summary document of similar USG assistance which had been
disseminated at the Feb 2004 meeting she hosted.


6. (C) The discussion on Ghana's anti-terrorism needs was
similarly frustrating to the discussion this group held in
February 2004 when the National Intelligence Advisor Francis
Poku said that Ghana needed almost everything. He promised to
supply an assessment but has failed to produce it.
Participants said that similar to other donor areas, we
should probably prioritize the assistance and then
collectively and bilaterally inform the Ghanaians.


7. (C) We also discussed terrorist financing and resolved
to examine this more closely at the next CTAG meeting.
Participants decided that we needed to have Ghana assess
their money laundering problems, verify the status of Ghana's
money-laundering legislation, and check with commercial banks
for their assessment of the local problem. Various countries
said that suspicious names were provided to the GoG but what
procedures Ghana applied to vet these names was unclear.


YATES