Exactly a year ago yesterday the world was in a state of mourning as terrorists attacked the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington DC and crashed a passenger airliner over southeast Pennsylvania. Over three thousand innocent lives of civilians from more than ninety nations around the world were ruthlessly killed in cold blood without the slightest moral compunction by the perpetrators of these acts.
A one-year remembrance ceremony was held throughout the world yesterday to show solidarity with Americans and to remember the American and foreign citizens who lost their lives in the attacks. In Ghana, members of the government led by the Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, the Diplomatic Corps, religious bodies and a cross section of the public also joined the rest of the world in remembering the sordid events of September 11 at the US Ambassador's residence in Accra.
The Vice President's government delegation included the Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Senior Minister, J.H. Mensah, Minister of Defence, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor and the Attorney General, Nana Akufo Addo among others.
The US Ambassador to Ghana, Ms. Elizabeth Raspolic said September 11 was not a blow against the US but against all those who disagree with a radical and isolated group. She said her government had been heartened by the help, assistance and moral support it received from the international community.
She expressed her appreciation for the coalition formed by countries in the wake of September 11 to rally behind the US government to fight terrorism because "it has taken the lead for all nations who respect freedom, peace and prosperity and abhor ignorance and aggression."
She said even though attention is now on eliminating terrorism world wide all nations around the world must make it a point to ensure education for all, reduction of poverty and improved health services. Only then, she said, can there be hope for all men and women to lead peaceful and fruitful lives.
She said only a united and civilized world can defeat terrorism. "On this day, as we remember those individuals lost and those families shattered on September 11, let us renew our commitment to defeat terrorism and build a better future for the next generation."
The Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey in response said the repercussion of September 11 was not only borne by America but the entire world and so the masterminds failed totally to achieve their goal.
"The pain of September 11 is not America's alone or Ghana's alone, it is the pain of all the peoples of all the countries of the world. It was not only an American tragedy or only a Ghanaian tragedy, it was a tragedy for all humanity."
He said there are a whole lot of lessons to be drawn from the tragedy which are that, "evil must be met with unyielding resolve; evil must not be allowed to prevail. As we move to eradicate injustice, hatred and prejudice so shall the breeding grounds of evil wither."
Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey said the memorial in honour of the dead should be a memorial of love.
Up till now even though intelligence reports indicate that the al-Qaieda network of the Saudi dissident, Osama bin Laden is the brain behind the world's most gruesome terrorist attack he has not been found yet.
Bashir Mehdilou, an Iranian living in Germany, arranges flowers in front of a makeshift memorial depicting the two World Trade Center towers at opera square in downtown Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2002, during a memorial rally by an exile constitutional monarchist party from Iran.