12515: Bahamian PM asks Aristide's support to end illegal immigration (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Daniel Schweissing <dan_schweissing@hotmail.com>

PM Christie asks President Aristide's support

Released Monday, July 8, 2002 by Llonella Gilbert


PM Christie asks President Aristide's

support to end illegal immigration

By Bahamas Information Services

Prime Minister the Hon. Perry G. Christie has asked Haitian President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide to support "tangible efforts" to secure The Bahamas'
borders from further illegal immigration.

Prime Minister Christie met with the Haitian President during the 23rd
Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government held July 3-5 in Georgetown,
Guyana.

Haiti became the 15th member-state of CARICOM when President Aristide
deposited with Secretary-General Edwin Carrington the Instrument of
Accession at the start of the summit.

"Haiti is now a sister CARICOM state, and much will have to be done to
regularise our relationship with our neighbour CARICOM country," the Prime
Minister said at a press conference at Nassau International Airport
following his arrival from Guyana on Saturday, July 6.

"We are encouraged by what we are hearing from President Aristide," Prime
Minister Christie said. "The fact that he now sits around the table gives us
open access to him."

In his meeting with President Aristide, the Prime Minister advised that The
Bahamas government will be "looking at those Haitian nationals or persons of
Haitian descent having a claim to status in The Bahamas."

The Prime Minister said he told President Aristide that The Bahamas
government has always felt that the plight of the status of persons born in
The Bahamas to Haitian parents or Haitians who have lived in The Bahamas for
a long time, should be addressed.

"And we are committed to a process of dignity, and in consideration of that,
we expect his support," Prime Minister Christie said. "We would expect him
and his government to support tangible efforts to secure the borders of The
Bahamas from further illegal immigration.

"I indicated to the PresidentÉ.and (Foreign) Minister (the Hon. Frederick
A.) Mitchell spoke to his Foreign Minister on a number of occasions in
GuyanaÉ.that I wished to, in the shortest possible time, have an

understanding with his government that he would give us very dedicated and
committed support, or they would give us dedicated and committed support to
minimising or preventing unlawful or illegal immigration into The Bahamas."

The Prime Minister said he also made know his government's hope that
Bahamian-Haitian relations can move beyond illegal immigration to include
matters such as the economies of the two countries, trade and cultural
relations.

He said comments made by the joint leaders of the CARICOM-Organisation of
American States (OAS) Mission to Haiti -- the Minister of External Affairs,
Trade and Innovation of St. Lucia and OAS Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria --
seem hopeful that the political and economic crisis in Haiti could be
brought to a peaceful resolution.

"Both CARICOM and OAS have been engaged in initiatives on their own and
collectively to resolve the situation in Haiti," Prime Minister Christie
said.

He noted that efforts are being made to get the opposition in Haiti to join
President Aristide's government in singing a peace accord, which could lead
to the release of a "significant amount" of money which has been withheld by
the international donor community, and which could have a beneficial impact
upon the hemisphere's poorest country.

"CARICOM has continued to call for the release of aid promised to Haiti,
which have been frozen by the international community because of the
continuing crisis in that country," he said.

Copyright (c) 2001 by Nassau Guardian


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