Mr. Franz- Seitz, US Consul General with Diplomatic Call Editor S. Owusu Mante
“It is an honor and privilege to work and live in Ghana. I feel accepted. I feel I am part of the fabric of the Ghanaian society”, these were the opening words when Diplomatic Call caught up with Mr. Philip Seitz, the Head of the Consul Section of the US Embassy for a one on one in preparation for the June edition of Diplomatic Call publication dedicated to US Ghana Relations.
Mr. Seitz is one of the most experienced Diplomats at the Embassy having spent about 16 years in the Foreign Service. Prior to joining the service, he worked as a civil servant for 10 years in Washington and also served in the army.
One hallmark of a good diplomat is the ability to adapt to feel a part of the host country. This is clearly seen in the US Consul General who is so much in love with Ghana and feels comfortable everywhere he goes. “Ghanaians are friendly, well nurtured and boisterous. I feel this is a safe country” says Philip – Franz Seitz.
Scope of work.
The Consul Section is one of the key departments of US Embassy made of up the American Services Unit, the Visa Unit and the Fraud Prevention Unit. Each of all the units is managed by a Unit Chief with Mr. Seitz as the Consul General and supervisor of all the Unit Chiefs.
He works closely with his deputy in the discharge of his duties and reports to the Deputy Chief of Mission. To him, the most important function of the Consular Sections of the Embassy is protecting the lives and interest of US citizens abroad through the America Services Unit. The Consul Section has eleven Americans and twenty locally engaged staff.
Major Initiatives.
The major difference between how Mr. Seitz runs the Consul Section and that of his predecessors is his initiative in reaching out to the media through interviews to explain the process of applying for visa, ” I try to demystify the process, I try to help Ghanaians who need visas not to be victimized by crook people”
The Consul General is of the opinion that, a lot of people are making a living by making Ghanaians misunderstand the process of applying for a visa. Such persons create a perception that applicants need visa fixers in order to get a US visa. That is surely not the case in the view of Mr. Seitz.
He therefore called on all Ghanaians to take the clear steps available on the embassy’s website in applying for a visa to avoid visa stories, identity theft and all kinds of fraud associated with the visa process. A lot of such stories get to the knowledge of the section day in and day out.
Mr. Seitz’s attitude to the Consul Office is to facilitate legitimate travel of Ghanaians to the US in preventing fraud and ensuring a regulated visa regime, “we have to be very careful and we have to stay on our toes, a lot of people want to go and are not qualify, we have to be transparent”.
US Foreign Policy in the last 5 years.
As an experienced diplomat with the Foreign Service, Diplomatic Call queried Mr. Seitz on what he regards as the core element of US Foreign Policy in the last five years. Mr. Seitz answered the question within the context of his personal experience in his diplomatic career in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2009 where he worked closely with the military.
“For someone who has served with the military a lot and immediately before this posting I was Foreign Policy Advisor to the US Army General for two years, from my perspective, looking at the picture, security is a key element of the US Foreign Policy for the last 5 years and will be for the next 5 years”. To him there are security challenges all over the world for which the US and the world would have to deal with. This in his opinion is what Hilary Clinton during her tenure as Secretary of State described as “closer collaboration between the Department of State and the Department of Defense”.
Values of Ghana US Relations.
On US Ghana relations, the Consul General identified mutual respect and admiration as the core values binding the two countries together. He indicated that Ghana has been a leader on the continent since 1957 as the first post-colonial democracy on the continent. The US admires Ghana for this and for its active role in UN Peace Keeping operations. He further mentioned that, Ghana’s role in ending Apartheid in South Africa cannot be over looked. These attributes of the country breeds respect and admiration not only by Americans but the world over.
Farewell for Ambassador Cretz.
Mr. Seitz has enjoyed working hand in hand with Ambassador Gene Cretz in the last two years. He is of the strong opinion Ambassador Cretz has made a positive impact and a tangible difference in the Foreign Service as well as the rank and file at the embassy.
In wishing him well on ending his duty tour to Ghana, he hopes Ambassador Cretz will stay involved in the service as he finally retires from the service.
