ADDRESS BY
SENATOR THE HON. DR. MARCUS BETHEL, ACTING MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
ANNUAL HONORARY CONSULAR CORPS LUNCHEON

BRITISH COLONIAL HILTON
DECEMBER 10, 2003   

Dean of The Honorary Consular Corps

Members of the Diplomatic, Consular and Honorary Consular Corps
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

I wish at the outset to express profound apologies for the absence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Fred Mitchell who is abroad having just attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in Abuja, Nigeria as a member of the Prime Minister’s delegation; and is presently in the United States attending the 27^th Annual Miami Conference on the Caribbean Basin.

I understand that this is an Annual Event where, as the quid pro quo for being honoured, the Foreign Minister gives a “state-of-the-union address”, so to speak, on the foreign affairs policies of the Government of The Bahamas. 

I am certainly honoured and privileged to stand in his stead as Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and bring these brief remarks.

In looking back over the past year, we are able to say, with all sincerity, that The Bahamas was quite successful in its diplomatic initiatives and engagements in the international arena and in particular in our immediate regional neighbourhood.

First of all, we were very successful this year in interfacing with Haiti on two levels.  At the bilateral level, our two countries negotiated a Framework for Bilateral Cooperation, which is intended to curtail illegal migration into The Bahamas and expand relations for the mutual benefit of both countries.  A key component of the Treaty is the establishment of a Joint Commission to implement the provisions of the Treaty. 

It is the considered opinion of the Bahamas Government that the intimate ties that have existed for close to two hundred years between the peoples of Haiti and The Bahamas demand that there be a formal code of interaction to ensure continued peaceful co-existence.

And then, at the multilateral level, The Bahamas has been actively involved in the efforts of the Organization of the American States to assist Haiti in its transition to a stable democracy and a thriving economy.  Minister Mitchell has been a member of two OAS teams that have gone to Haiti this year to hold discussions with key stakeholders; and just this past week, our Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Joshua Sears, has been asked to assume the chair of a very important committee entrusted with implementing the Organization’s Haiti Mandate.

We have high hopes for the future and we look forward to improved and strengthened relations with Haiti in the years ahead.

As regards Cuba, our Governments recognize the tremendous amount of travel and trade that is now taking place between the two countries.  Many Bahamians now seek medical care and education opportunities in Cuba and as a result of this burgeoning commerce, the Government of The Bahamas is now seriously contemplating the establishment of a Consulate General in Havana to provide consular services to Bahamian citizens visiting Cuba.  

It is interesting to note that nine Bahamians who are presently incarcerated in Cuba for various criminal offences will be returning to The Bahamas shortly to serve the remainder of their sentences at Her Majesty’s Prison in Fox Hill. 

This transfer was made possible by the terms of the Bahamas/Cuba Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement, which entered into force in October 2001.

The recent visit of the Cuban Foreign Minister to Nassau is clear evidence that The Bahamas and Cuba remain engaged in discussions covering a wide range of issues from trade agreements to technical assistance and border delimitation, and it is hoped that some of these issues could be resolved amicably in the New Year.

With respect to the United States, our other immediate neighbour, a cordial interaction continues to exist and we have made good progress this year in reaching an accord relating to a Comprehensive Maritime Agreement which, when finalized, will consolidate the many existing agreements that govern maritime law enforcement cooperation between our two Governments.  Both sides see this pact as essential in the continued war against drug trafficking, illegal migration and terrorism.

Without a doubt, the high point in the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this year was the meeting between Prime Minster Christie and President Bush, along with the President of Guyana and the Prime Ministers of St. Lucia and Grenada, on September 24, in Washington. It demonstrated that, notwithstanding the comments of the critics, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had done its work in pitching the nation’s foreign policy at just the right level.

As intimate as our two peoples and economies are, there is still room for more productive initiatives and we look forward to the coming year, which promises to be just as eventful as the past years.

One of the highlights of this year, in terms of foreign relations, has most definitely been the absorbing national debate regarding the Caribbean Single Market and Economy.  And in light of the fact that CARICOM Affairs falls within the portfolio of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, this Ministry has been a central element in sparking the debate. 

Never before have the Bahamian people been so engrossed in the complex and sensitive issues of the integration movement in the Commonwealth Caribbean.  And without a doubt, the high point of the debate was the arrival in mid-year of the Honourable Owen Arthur, Prime Minister of Barbados, to expound more fully on the pros and cons of the integration movement.

The question “To be or not to be”, although playing a key role in sensitising Bahamians to the inexorable global evolution that is rapidly taking place, has not yet been answered.  The jury is still out but the exercise has been a healthy, stimulating and intellectually edifying one.

Relations with the People’s Republic of China has truly been star-studded this year, beginning in January with the visit of Vice Premier, Madame Wu, one of the top political figures in China today; and ending with the visit just a few weeks ago of the Vice Minister of Culture. In the months between, there was the signing of a Maritime Agreement that relieved severe constraints on our Ship Registration industry; there were the visits of the Bahamian Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry to China; and a cultural visit from China by an acrobatic and martial arts troupe.  In addition, negotiations began this year on a Cultural Agreement between our two countries and it is hoped that it will be ready for signature early in the New Year.

Our association with China will undoubtedly improve more and more, leading to greater interaction and understanding between our two peoples in both the cultural and economic spheres.

Relations with Britain specifically and the Commonwealth generally remain stable and our attendance in full force at the just concluded Heads of Government Meeting in Nigeria attests to our commitment to maintain a vibrant alliance with our Commonwealth partners.

I would be remiss if I were to omit the very productive UK-CARICOM Forum that took place in London on December 2^nd, between the British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair and Caribbean Heads of Government, including Prime Minister Perry Christie, on their way to CHOGM in Nigeria.   The major issues discussed were related to trade, security and health.

As regards the European Union, we were pleased to welcome earlier this year the Delegation of the European Commission to The Bahamas; and Ambassadors from the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Germany and Switzerland.

However one of the major disappointments for The Bahamas this year, unfortunately, has been the cessation of the issuance of Schengen visas in The Bahamas.  The rationale for this decision has never been clearly stated to the Bahamas Government but we hope the matter would be resolved soon.

One of the observations that we in our corner of the world have made in recent times is that the global community and in particular, the more developed economies, are moving headlong into the contradiction of calling and pushing for “trade liberalization” and “globalisation” while at the same time erecting formidable barriers to travel.   There is so much talk about removing barriers to trade but so little recognition of the fact that barriers to travel have always been one of the major barriers to trade.

One would have thought that advances in technology would have led to freer movement of people engaged in legitimate activities, but it appears that advances in technology, notably the computerised travel documents, are being proclaimed, because of the high cost of this new technology, as the reason for more obstacles to legitimate travel.

From our corner of the world it just will not work.  The success of The Bahamas as a prime tourist destination is linked clearly to the fact that we provide for hassle-free entry to as great an extent as possible into the country.

The day we introduce barriers to travel will be the day that we kill our lucrative trade.

But let us not spoil our appetites with these contentious issues; we will resolve these hopefully in the coming New Year.

So, in concluding Mr Chairman, I want to stress that the Bahamas is positioning itself to take advantage of the positive trends that are developing in the diplomatic environment at both the bilateral and the multilateral levels; and we are highly appreciative of the productive alliances that we have established with all of the countries represented here today.

We look forward to continued success as we all strive to create a better world where poverty is eradicated, good governance is extolled as a virtue and human rights are upheld as inviolable tenets of twenty-first century life.

Thank you.