HONORARY COUNSULAR CORPS

CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON

Dean of the Diplomatic Corps

Dean of the Honorary Consular Corp

Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic and Honorary Consular Corps

Special Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am pleased to accept your invitation to join you today for your Christmas Lunch.

This annual event gives us a chance to interact outside the formal setting of the Foreign Ministry, as we work together in furtherance of our mutual relations. It also provides an opportunity for me to share with you some thoughts on current aspects of Bahamian foreign policy.

Of course, in the seven months that I have served as Foreign Minister, I have had occasion to meet with most, if not all, of you in your official capacities. I have become aware of the many issues of interest to you and to the countries you represent. I have also made you aware of the issues of importance to the Government and people of The Bahamas.

I would like to thank you for facilitating the work of my Ministry.

The Bahamas has as its stated foreign policy objectives to remain at peace with all nations and to co operate with them to promote the welfare of mankind.

Other key foreign policy objectives include the promotion and enhancement of Bahamian culture, improving the quality of life for all Bahamians and the protection of our borders and upholding the integrity of The Bahamas abroad.

As one of the oldest parliamentary democracies in the hemisphere, we consider the promotion and protection of human rights and commitment to democracy to be hallmarks of our foreign policy.

The Bahamas remains committed to deepening democracy and enhancing the promotion and protection of democratic values.

Naturally, our geographical location impacts hugely on the general direction and priority areas of Bahamian foreign policy.

Our bilateral relations with neighbouring countries play an integral part in the development of our foreign policy as do the issues such as trade and commerce, health, education, cooperation in law enforcement, disaster preparedness and drugs and human trafficking.

Similarly, as a low lying archipelago we must pay close attention to issues such as climate change so that we minimize, with the assistance of the international community, the impact that sea level rise will have on The Bahamas, even as we advocate for industrialized countries to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they produce.

Mitigation and adaptation have now become necessities as opposed to options.

Just this week The Bahamas was represented at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Bali by Minister Hon. Earl Deveaux, the Chairman of The Bahamas’ Climate Change Committee, Mr. Arthur Rolle and others.

International peace and security are also at the forefront when deciding policy as we host some five million visitors to our shores each year, generating more than 50 percent of The Bahamas’ GDP in the process.

Thus, The Bahamas remains committed to the fight against terrorism and other threats to international security and will continue to do its part to promote good relations between all countries, and in particular the countries in our region.

Similarly, we must ensure the well being of our financial services sector.

Make no mistake, The Bahamas is committed to the prudential regulation of its financial services sector and is fully committed to ensuring that that sector remains clear of the twin threats of money laundering and terrorist financing. We are however, also cognizant of the fact that sometimes inequitable demands are placed on us by certain international entities. What we ourselves seek is no more than a level playing field. On such a field we are convinced that our financial services sector can compete fairly and responsibly.

Closer to home, relations with the Caribbean Community remain a priority, particularly with respect to functional cooperation and developing regional positions on issues that are of concern for all CARICOM members.

In furtherance of our objectives, the Government has engaged with diplomats accredited to The Bahamas, with the Organization of American States during their General Assembly, the Conference on the Caribbean in Washington, CARICOM Heads of Government, the UN General Assembly, the Food and Agriculture Organization General Assembly, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the Miami Conference on the Caribbean and the UN Conference on Climate Change, just to cite a few examples.

Canada/Caribbean relations have been placed on a new footing as, for the first time in many years, a summit of Prime Ministers was held in Barbados during which Canada has agreed to host a summit of Heads of Government in Canada next year and to begin negotiations on a new trade agreement between Canada and CARICOM.

As you are aware, just two weeks ago, The Bahamas hosted a Workshop aimed at encouraging countries in the region to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty in fulfilment of the Caribbean’s designation as a Zone of Peace in respect to nuclear weapons. Indeed, I am proud to announce that The Bahamas has now joined that group of countries and has ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

The Bahamas has also become party to a number of other Conventions and Organizations throughout the year namely, the 1958 Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Association of Caribbean States Convention establishing the Sustainable Tourism Zone of the Caribbean and the Revised Cotonou Agreement.

The Government has also recently decided to accede to the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems, the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage and the International Labour Organization Maritime Labour Convention’s.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I was very proud to launch the issuance of ePassports in The Bahamas on 5^th December, 2007, which marks the culmination of many years of research, planning and development to upgrade the Bahamian passport, from just a simple paper document, to a better and more secure document – a machine readable document with biometrics.

This is indeed a major accomplishment for the Ministry and the Passport Office and will better facilitate the travel of Bahamians.

Now that the critical planning and development and pilot phases of this project have been launched, I will be regularly updating the public on the e passport procedures in the coming months.

Early in the New Year we hope to complete the relocation of the Ministry as the Protocol Division and the remaining Officers stationed at East Hill Street will move to the Goodman’s Bay Centre. We trust that this move will result in better services being provided to the public.

With the majority of the Ministry staff in one location, over the next few months, I intend to accelerate the process we have already begun of reviewing the work and structure of the Ministry itself.

We have embarked on a systematic review of our diplomatic and Consular Offices to determine if staffing and funding levels are appropriate to allow the offices to perform effectively and efficiently.

As part of this process the Ministry is planning in the first quarter of the year to hold a Heads of Mission meeting. This will allow Senior Officers and the Heads of our Overseas Missions to discuss Bahamian foreign policy and make recommendations on how to improve the performance of the Missions and the Ministry.

This review is essential because the conduct of foreign affairs has changed over the years with even greater emphasis being placed on bilateral agreements, summits and international conferences. The question therefore arises as to how do we structure the Ministry to respond to these changes?

As you are aware, The Bahamas has established diplomatic relations with more than 70 countries, yet we have rarely named Ambassadors to most of them. The Ministry will be making recommendations for the accreditation of Ambassadors or High Commissioners as appropriate to these countries and where possible the appointment of Bahamian Honorary Consuls.

Any recommendations which you have as to suitable candidates will be gratefully appreciated.

I am pleased that Ambassador C. A. Smith is in post in Washington. Ambassador Smith has presented his credentials to the Secretary General of the OAS and has assumed his duties of the Permanent Representative of The Bahamas to the Organization of American States.

I am also pleased to advise that as of January, Ambassador Smith will assume the chairmanship of the Permanent Council of the OAS. As you are aware, The Permanent Council is, outside of the OAS General Assembly and the Council of Foreign Ministers, the main decision making body of the OAS.

The New Year promises to be a busy one for the Ministry.

In January, the Prime Minister assumes the Chairmanship of CARICOM for the next six months and thus the Ministry and our Overseas Missions will be taking a greater leadership role in CARICOM matters, in addition to serving as the designated CARICOM representative on matters related to Tourism.

In March, The Bahamas will host the Caricom Intercessional Heads of Government Meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister. In addition, in April there will be a meeting of CARICOM Foreign Ministers with their UK counterparts. Later in the year the CARICOM/Spain Summit, the EU/Latin America and Caribbean Summit, and the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union and the African Diaspora will be held.

Likewise in the New Year, we will continue to explore visa abolition agreements with a number of countries.

As you are aware, The Bahamas’ exemption from the Schengen visa remains a priority.

We await the promised draft text from the European Commission. We are advised this will have to be followed by a technical meeting.

As those of you who represent European countries well know, this remains a matter of critical importance for The Bahamas since it is no longer possible to obtain the visa locally.

I shall, therefore, be calling on you, once again, for your assistance to achieve progress on this matter, early in the New Year.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In closing, I trust that you and your families will enjoy the holiday season. Kindly be assured that the Ministry remains committed to working with you on matters of mutual interest in the New Year.