Lieutenant General Joseph Henry Smith (rtd), Minister of Defence, on Monday called on member countries of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to support its Secretariat in handling security issues in the West African sub-region.
He said the secretariat needed logistics, a stand-by force, intelligence and personnel to handle emergency situations creditably.
Lt-Gen. Smith made the call when Commandants of ECOWAS Training Centres of Excellence in Peace Support Operations paid a courtesy call on him in Accra.
They were attending a three-day meeting to discuss issues on the training of a stand-by force for the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations, standardisation of reporting and the creation of data base for their institutions.
The delegation including Rear Admiral G.J.A. Jonah, National Defence College of Nigeria and Brigadier General Sidibe Sulemana General Director Ecole Maintien la de Paix Alioune Bloudin Beye (EMPABB) of Mali were attending the second annual meeting for 2009.
Lt-Gen. Smith noted that language barrier between the Francophone and the Anglophone countries impeded communication and called on member countries to collectively ensure that their citizens learn each other's language to bridge the barrier.
Air Vice Marshal Christian Dovlo, Commandant of Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, said the main agenda for discussion was the civilian component of ECOWAS stand-by force, the development of a data base to enhance effective cooperation within the sub-region.
The delegation also called on the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Augustine Peter Blay.
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