SCENES OUTSIDE THE CHINESE EMBASSY, INCLUDING GHANAIAN SOLDIERS STANDING GUARD; CRATES WHEELED OUT AND LOADED INTO TRUCKS; SOVIET EMBASSY BUILDING; EAST GERMAN TRADE MISSION BUILDING; POSTERS ADVERTISING CHINESE FOLK ART TROUPE; THE CHINESE ENTERTAINERS SAY GOODBYE TO EMBASSY OFFICIALS AND LEAVE IN A BUS.




Initials RM/V/JF/BB


EDITORS: SEE ALSO 2094/66 ACCRA: CHINESE AND SOVIET ADVISERS TO DR. NKRUMAH LEAVE AFTER COUP - FORMER MINISTER DETAINED SERVICE 2 MARCH 66.

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: IN SPITE OF THE FLOW OF CHINESE AND RUSSIANS LEAVING ACCRA, A LEADER OF LAST THURSDAY'S COUP IN GHANA, LIEUTENANT-GENERAL J.A. ANKRAH, HAS SAID GHANA INTENDED TO RETAIN DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH BOTH THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND THE SOVIET UNION. A BIG GROUP OF CHINESE ENTERTAINERS HAVE BEEN AMONG THE LAST TO LEAVE GHANA, WHILE THE CHINESE EMBASSY HAS BEEN SHIPPING A LARGE NUMBER OF CRATES FROM ACCRA TO PEKING.

MORE THAN 100 RUSSIAN ADVISERS AND OTHER EXPERTS WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING IN GHANA LEFT THE COUNTRY ON TUESDAY NIGHT, AND CHINESE AIDES AND OFFICIALS WERE ALSO DUE TO LEAVE. ON WEDNESDAY, NUMEROUS CRATES WERE TAKEN FROM THE CHINESE EMBASSY IN ACCRA, LOADED ONTO A TRUCK AND DRIVEN AWAY. THE SAME DAY A TROUPE OF CHINESE FOLK ART ENTERTAINERS SAID GOODBYE TO EMBASSY OFFICIALS AND DROVE AWAY IN A BUS.

THE NUMBER OF CHINESE IN ACCRA LAST WEEK WAS ABOUT 150, INCLUDING DEPENDENTS, AND MANY OF THESE WERE ADVISERS ON DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. MOST OF THE CHINESE PROJECTS, HOWEVER, HAVE YET TO START. THESE HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED TO COST ABOUT GBP13,000,000 STERLING. THE RUSSIANS WERE FAR MORE NUMEROUS IN GHANA -- SOME 1,000, MANY WORKING ON RUSSIAN PROJECTS VALUED AT ABOUT GBP30,000,000.

(THE NIGER REPUBLIC TODAY (FRIDAY) FORMALLY RECOGNISED GHANA'S NEW REGIME AND THE OTHER FRENCH-SPEAKING AFRICAN STATES, UPPER VOLTA, DAHOMEY AND TOGO, ARE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW. THE NIGER GOVERNMENT'S COMMUNIQUE NOTED THAT "ALL THE GHANAIAN AUTHORITIES, BOTH OUTSIDE AND INSIDE THE COUNTRY, HAVE RALLIED TO THE NEW REGIME HEADED BY THE NATIONAL LIBERATION COMMITTEE.")