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Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - Web posted at 7:41:19 GMT Lack of welcome for President 'no big deal' PETROS KUTEEUESTATE House and the Department of Protocol yesterday played down the lack of Government officials on hand to welcome outgoing President Sam Nujoma at Windhoek's Eros Airport when he returned from his holiday at Terrace Bay on Friday. |
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Nujoma, set to retire in two months, apparently disembarked from the plane only to discover that not one of his ministers was there to welcome him back to Windhoek - as has always been the case in the past. According to the Government-controlled Namibian Press Agency, the only senior Government official present was Secretary to Cabinet Frans Kapofi, accompanied by a few officials from State House and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But both State House and protocol officials yesterday scoffed at suggestions that ministers had snubbed the Head of State, insisting that they were simply still on holiday themselves. "In any case, the fact that they were not there is not a matter of concern to us, even to the President himself," said Ben Nangombe of the Office of the President. Nangombe said another reason that might have contributed to the ministers' no-show was the fact that the President was originally scheduled to return to Windhoek on January 23. Acting Chief of Protocol, Ringo Abed, first wanted to know what problem this reporter had with ministers not welcoming the President, before claiming that all ministers were out of town on Friday. |
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