Former President JJ Rawlings has described the Foreign Affairs Minister Hanna Tetteh as disrespectful after she walked out of the Summit of World Mayors in Accra.
The visibly angry former military leader is reported to have attacked the former Trades Minister after she was asked to make way for the Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur to open the 4th World Summit of Mayors of African descent on behalf of the President.
Ms Tetteh who was scheduled to read a speech on behalf of President John Mahama walked out after Mr. Rawlings questioned why the Vice President was rather not dispatched by the President to represent him at the event.
According to a report by Joy News, the Mayor of Accra, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije asked Ms Tetteh to wait for the Vice President to arrive and handover her speech to him, but Ms Tetteh insisted that the President had asked her to open the summit on his behalf.
Ms Tetteh angered by attempts to prevent her from opening the ceremony ostensibly orchestrated by ex-President Rawlings walked out of the event prompting Rawlings to launch a verbal attack on the Foreign Affairs Minister.
As a result of the behind the scene altercations, the programme which was scheduled to start at 9am kicked off 11am last Monday.
The three-day event was attended by over 3,000 delegates made up of Mayors, city authorities and leaders from Africa and Africans in the Diaspora to forge alliance and partnership to promote the development of Africa and people in the diaspora.
High on the agenda on the 4th World Summit of Mayors and leaders of African Descent is the ‘Fast- Track Cities’ initiative intended to ensure that by 2020, majority of people know their HIV/AIDS status, answer access to treatment by HIVAIDS patients, and suppression of viral load in people living with the disease.
