Foreign Affairs Minister must intervene

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration must immediately intervene in the ongoing row between the Police and the British High Commissioner, Harriet Thompson, to avert any diplomatic friction between Ghana and the United Kingdom.

Dr Yaw Appiah Marfo, a Lecturer in International Relations and Diplomacy at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), urged the Ministry to engage the High Commissioner “behind the scenes” and “explain and clarify” the issue to bring finality to the matter.

“Things can be done behind the scenes of which the Minister could have the opportunity to speak with her (High Commissioner) and probably allay her fears and bring finality to the issue diplomatically,” he told the Ghana News Agency.

The Ghana Police Service, in a letter dated May 20, 2022, and addressed to Madam Thompson, took issue with the High Commissioner’s tweet following the arrest of one of the conveners of the #FixTheCountry movement, Oliver Barker Vormawor, over a traffic offence.

Madam Thomson in her tweet wrote: “Oliver Barker Vormawor, convener of #FixTheCountry movement, arrested again, I understand for a motoring offence on his way to court. I’ll be interested to see where this goes…”

The Police described her comment as “misguided, unwarranted, and breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961.”

In a quick response to the Police, Madam Thompson said it was not her intention to breach Ghana’s peace, adding that she did not expect such a response from the Police.

“When I comment on social media, I comment on all sorts of things that I am interested,” she told an Accra-based TV Station.

Dr Appiah-Marfo agreed with the Police that the High Commissioner in her tweet breached the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

He said in accordance with the Convention, the High Commissioner should have channelled her concerns through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and not on social media.

“Looking at the interpretation of Article 41 (1) of the Vienna Convention, she was more or less meddling in internal affairs of a receiving country.

“Secondly, Clause 2 of Article 41 says that if she has anything to articulate on the issue, of which she is a global citizen, even though she is a diplomat, she has to pass it through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the receiving country,” he said.

Dr Appiah-Marfo said though the High Commissioner reserved the right to comment on issues as an individual, she could not separate herself from her position as a diplomat.

“She cannot separate her position from herself. Any British citizen or individual could make a statement and say whatever they want regarding the issue but not her, because of the position she occupies; which is almost like representing the People of Britain,” Dr Appiah-Marfo said.