16934: Lemieux: Nassau Guardian: PM and Bush talk about Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JD Lemieux <lxhaiti@yahoo.com>


 The Nassau Guardian Tuesday, September 30, 2003


PM Bush talk about haiti

KHASHAN POITIER Guardian Staff Reporter

Following a "frank" dialogue with United States President
George Bush, Prime Minister Perry Christie is confident
that a mutual understanding is shared between the U.S. and
The Bahamas in regards to Haiti.



Upon his arrival Saturday morning, the prime minister
briefed the press at the Nassau International Airport's
V.I.P. Lounge on his four-day trip to Washington, D.C. and
New York, where he and three other Caribbean nations'
Government heads met with the American president during the
United Nations General Assembly's annual session.


The Bahamas, Grenada, Guyana and St. Lucia expressed the
regional concern, including the urgent need for funding and
implementation of an electoral council in Haiti.


"All of the issues discussed were important and relevant to
The Bahamas. We stressed that the question of Haiti and the
impasse on the path to democracy in Haiti was one that the
President should be aware that it could be a great impact
to The Bahamas.


And, that it was more than an issue of democracy and
progress towards democracy, it was an issue of our national
interest and the fact that we are being required to
dedicate, in increasing amounts, scarce resources of our
country towards strengthening our capacity to interdict
Haitian migration, in particular, hold them in the
Detention Centre and then repatriate them," said Mr.
Christie.


Over $300, 000 has already been spent to repatriate over
2,500 illegal refugees, most of which were Haitian
nationals, so far this year.


Asked about what should be done with the unrest in Haiti,
Mr. Christie and his CARICOM colleagues advised Mr. Bush to
not only apply pressure on Haiti's President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide and his government, but to all the stakeholders in
the impoverished nation.


"There ought to be an understanding, reflected in pressure,
that all of the stakeholders in democracy — the Catholic
Church and the Opposition — ought to be equally pressured
in recognizing that until they are able to establish in a
very transparent way an electoral council that could set
the tune and context for proper elections, that we are not
going to make much progress."


As Haiti prepares to celebrate its 200th anniversary, the
Caribbean government heads noted that this period might not
be the best time to make such a change.


With regards to funding, the Organization of American
States and other funding agencies have halted financial
assistance to Haiti, due to the consistent political unrest
there.


Mr. Christie said he encouraged Mr. Bush not to withdraw
funds to Haiti as this would not be in the best interest
for The Bahamas or the United States.


"All of the Caribbean leaders agreed that it would be wrong
to stop the flow of funding, that it would be
counterproductive to the interest of all of us,
particularly The Bahamas, that it would only increase the
suffering and release more and more people to come into The
Bahamas," he noted.


Mr. Christie suggested that by applying pressure on Haiti's
stakeholders and funding together, it would produce
improvements.


The Bahamas was also criticized for its diplomatic ties
with Cuba, which the United States has had an embargo
against for nearly 50 years. According to Mr. Christie, Mr.
Bush accused The Bahamas of treating Cuba refugees
differently than others, detaining them until the United
Nations determined which are political refugees or
otherwise.


In response, Mr. Christie said he bluntly refused to
"engage in policies that appear to be more hospitable and
more generous than the American Government's policies."


And, as the United States defends its citizens and shores
from terrorism it should be mindful of its proximity to the
Bahama Islands, and should, therefore, include this country
when planning its defence mechanism.


"Any policies and programmes designed for the protection of
America must necessarily see The Bahamas as a part of the
border, and the vulnerability of America is in fact a part
of the framework of protecting The Bahamas," Mr. Christie
said.


As a result of this point, Mr. Christie said it was agreed
to strengthen U.S.-Bahamas joint initiatives already in
place, such as the OPBAT programme, which combats drug
traffickers.


All in all, regarding its defence against terrorism, drug
and human smugglers, Mr. Christie stressed to Mr. Bush
that, as The Bahamas' resources are limited, it would be
extremely taxing for it to meet their standards.


So, Mr. Christie suggested that the Bush administration
assist in erecting a base in Great Inagua, which is closer
to both Haiti and Cuba, where U.S. military officials can
occupy as an "outpost." To this, Mr. Christie said Mr. Bush
seemed open to the idea.


"Once I put into context that Cubans and Haitians are
trying to get into the greatest country in the world (the
United States) for a better way of life, and to do so,
would have to come through The Bahamas, then he took right
away that what I was arguing was very persuasive, and that
the border should be Inagua. I think he understood that. He
had his officials there and indicated that he would follow
it up."


For sometime, the Government has reiterated plans to
construct a Royal Bahamas Defence Force base on Inagua to
better monitor Bahamian territorial waters and intercept
illegal drug and human smugglers. Limited resources have
dragged the project.


Mr. Christie believes that when the base is erected it
would put The Bahamas in a better position to net refugees,
hence pressure Haiti's administration to "speed up" the
democracy process.

Posted Monday 29 September, 2003


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