|
REMARKS BY THE HON. FRED MITCHELL MP
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Opening of the New Visa Facilities U.S. Embassy
Nassau, The Bahamas
Friday, 9th February, 2007
Your Excellency, the Governor-General of the
Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the Honourable John Rood, Distinguished
Guests, Colleagues, Friends, good morning.
Regrettably, Minister has been unavoidably
detained and he has asked me to deliver these remarks which he had
prepared on his behalf.
Thank you for inviting me to attend this
commissioning ceremony. This is a place where many Bahamians will
come to obtain the required entry permits for the United States. I
want on behalf of the government to applaud the efforts to make this
facility more user friendly and comfortable.
To interject a personal note –
Consular offices all over the world are not
generally known for their aesthetics. Unfortunately, they tend to
reflect the rules based side of Consular work and not the softer,
caring side. Further, while to some, diplomatic work represents the
glamorous side of foreign policy, Consular work is the bread and
butter side and often makes a greater impact on the average citizen.
It is in offices such as these, that we have the greatest
interaction between the general public and foreign representatives.
Ambassador Rood you’ve done it again. Under your
watch you’ve not only upgraded a previously cramped facility but
you’re also provided a hospitable setting for both your hardworking
staff and the many Bahamians who come here on a daily basis for
visas of one kind or another. I am sure that this will go a long way
toward easing a lot of the anxiety that many Bahamians experience
when they enter a Consular Office.
To return to the text
I would like in particular to salute the efforts
of Ambassador John Rood who is in the waning days of his tenure here
as Ambassador to The Bahamas. I know that this is a project that is
close to his heart.
There are many issues of great and weighty
importance that come before a Minister of Foreign Affairs, but these
matters often pale in comparison to what might be considered
mundane, and that is the question of access to visas for the United
States. Our citizens travel to the U.S., our country’s largest
trading partner. There is not a possible chance that this will
change in the foreseeable future with billions of dollars changing
hands, one billion alone in the economy of Florida. To Bahamians
that means that they have a special right to access the markets of
the United States because of our proximity to that landmass and
because of traditional commercial and family ties. Many of you may
recall that the late Dr. Cleveland Eneas describing us as a people
who believe we have an inalienable right to go to Miami.
Regrettably, over the past few years, there have
been complaints about access to this facility and about the way
people are treated when they access the facility. There are issues
regarding due process and the time it takes for persons who have had
visas before from having those visas again if they have had some
infraction on their record that they thought was long ago resolved.
Since 11th September and the changes, the problems have
become more difficult to resolve.
In most cases, the staff here at the Embassy led
by the Ambassador have been able to resolve them satisfactorily and
with dispatch. I thank them for that.
However, my personal view is that as the free
trade issues develop and are refined in this region, there should
come a time when there is visa free access to the United States in
the same way that there is visa free access to The Bahamas by U.S.
citizens.
That is a goal that I think both countries ought
to pursue on a bi lateral and a regional basis.
In the mean time though, it is clear by the
investment in this facility that there is a determined effort by the
Government of the United States to address the issues and resolve
them. The continuation of the pre clearance facility, the continued
joint efforts toward improving airport security, the joint efforts
at preventing drug trafficking and migrant smuggling are all signs
of the close working relationship and cooperation between our two
states.
I want to once again thank the Government of The
United States, the Ambassador, the Consular staff and all who are
responsible for this project, and I look forward to the fine service
that will continue from this new facility. Let us all pledge to
continue to cooperate and work together for the common good of all
our peoples. I wish all of you well and thank you most sincerely for
your efforts evidenced here today.
end
|
|
