ISSUE NO.49 January 2001
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Sanders
now "Sir Ronald"
 Ron
Sanders has been Knighted in the Antigua and Barbuda New Year's
Honours list. The 52-year old diplomat has been awarded the dignity
of Knight Commander of the Most distinguished Order of the Nation
(KCN) for outstanding diplomatic service. He is presently Senior
Ambassador with Ministerial Rank and Adviser to the Prime Minister.
Four years ago, he was made a companion of the Most Distinguished
Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) by the Queen.
Sanders was born in Guyana and became a citizen of Antigua and
Barbuda where he has worked for more than two decades. He was a
member of the Government's team to the Constitutional Conference
in 1980 that led to Antigua and Barbuda's Independence a year later.
Along with Prime Minister Lester Bird, Sanders is credited with
formulating many of the diplomatic initiatives that have made Antigua
and Barbuda punch above its weight in Caribbean and Commonwealth
circles. He and Bird have been a working partnership in the area
of Antigua and Barbuda's international relations dating back to
the mid 1970s.
Recently Sir Ronald has been leading Antigua and Barbuda's discussions
with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and his forceful presentation
of the country's case was regarded in international circles as
crucial to its being recognised as fully cooperative in the fight
against money laundering. He also negotiated the rescheduling or
write-off of millions of dollars of the national debt with the
UK and France.
In the 1980s Sanders became the first representative of Antigua
and Barbuda to be elected to the governing body of a UN organisation
when he was elected to the Executive Board of UNESCO.
Prior to his career with the Antigua and Barbuda government,
Sanders served as President of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union
and General Manager of the Guyana Broadcasting Service. He was
also one of the members of the first Board of Directors that established
the Caribbean News Agency (CANA).
A former Fellow at Oxford University, Sir Ronald has published
widely on issues related to the Caribbean and small states in the
International Community.
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Canada
to negotiate new trade pact
 The
government of Canada and of the Caribbean Community and Common
Market (CARICOM) agreed on Friday 19th January to negotiate a new
free trade agreement to replace their existing 15-year-old trade
pact.
The decision was announced at a meeting in Montego Bay, Jamaica,
between Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and leaders of the
CARICOM, which consists of 15 Caribbean countries and territories,
mostly former British colonies. The proposal for a working group
to be established to examine the ways in which such a Free Trade
area might best be established, paying attention to issues of compensatory
mechanisms and trade arrangements with other countries in the world
was made by Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister, Lester Bird.
Host Prime Minister Percival Patterson of Jamaica, hailed the
decision to negotiate a new agreement, saying it would overtake
the current CARIBCAN trade agreement that does not take into account
trade in services.
 Before
embarking on formal negotiations toward the new trade agreement,
Patterson said working groups from both sides would have to discuss
and clear a number of outstanding issues, including concerns relating
to small economies.
Patterson also reiterated CARICOM's desire for Canadian support
for its position that differential treatment should be given small
states in negotiations toward establishing the Free Trade Area
of the Americas (FTAA).
The third Summit of the Americas to be held in Quebec, Canada
from April 20-22 will focus in part on the FTAA negotiations.
Antigua and Barbuda's delegation to the CANADA-CARICOM Summit
was headed by Prime Minister Lester Bird and included Senior Ambassador
with Ministerial Rank, Sir Ronald Sanders and Permanent Secretary
in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Colin Murdoch.
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NO
to Fidel Castro
Cuba's President, Fidel Castro, will not be invited to upcoming
Summit of the Americas, due to take place in Quebec City in April
of this year.
"Of course some countries would like him to be there, but
we operate on a consensus basis and some countries oppose so we
cannot proceed with an invitation, even if I wish, I cannot. No,
Fidel Castro will not be invited to attend the Summit in Quebec
City," said Canada's Jean Chretien at a Press Briefing following
a meeting with CARICOM Heads at the CARI-CAN 2001 Summit held at
the Half Moon Resort in Jamaica.
CARICOM leaders remained tight-lipped over what appears to be
a rebuff of CARICOM's position and one of the issues on the agenda.
Some Heads feel that Canada should turn a deaf ear to Washington
and go ahead and invite President Castro.
"We do not think that it is a proper hemispheric process
if Cuba is left out," said CARICOM's Secretary General, Edwin
Carrington.
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Canadian High Commissioner
presents credentials
On 15th January, the new Canadian High Commissioner
to Antigua and Barbuda, Her Excellency Sandelle Schrimshaw, paid
a courtesy call on the Governor General, His Excellency Sir James
B Carlisle
High Commissioner Schrimshaw replaces H E Duane van Beselaere.
Ms. Schrimshaw, a veteran of the Canadian Diplomatic Corps, has
also served as High Commissioner to Ghana and was Counsellor in
Abidjan, Nigeria in addition to holding senior positions in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa.
The Prime Minister and the new High Commissioner had consultations
on a number of important issues including the question of OECS
membership in the Inter-American Development Bank, the role of
Cuba in the hemisphere, and the OECD initiative on harmful tax
competition. In this review of bilateral relations, Prime Minister
Bird thanked the Canadian diplomat for the judicial assistance
provided by Canada and for the close collaboration with Canada
on narcotics trafficking and anti-money laundering matters.
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Venezuelan
Ambassador presents credentials
The new Venezuelan Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda, His
Excellency Mr Jose Laurencio Silva Mendez, presented his credentials
to the Governor General, His Excellency Sir James B. Carlisle and
paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister, the Honourable Lester Bird
on 8th January 2001.
The Prime Minister and the Ambassador exchanged ideas regarding
developments by which economic ties between Venezuela and Antigua
and Barbuda can be enhanced. They also exchanged views on questions
aimed at fostering closer relations between the two countries and
governments.
The issue as regards Antigua and Barbuda's energy needs and prospects
of this being met by the new oil facility that has been introduced
by the Venezuelan government was explored. The Prime Minister was
advised of Venezuela's desire to facilitate Antigua and Barbuda
in this respect and in other mutually advantageous ways.
At the end of their discussion, Ambassador Mendez conveyed to
the Prime Minister an invitation from President Hugo Chavez to
visit Venezuela in the near future.
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Visit of Mr Andy Ashcroft,
Head of the Caribbean Section of the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (F.C.O)
 Mr
Andy Ashcroft, the Head of the Caribbean Section of the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office on an official visit to Antigua and Barbuda
paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Sir James B. Carlisle GCMG,
the Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda. He also met with Prime
Minister Lester B. Bird.
Mr Ashcroft and the Prime Minister engaged in a review of the
relations between Antigua and Barbuda and the United Kingdom and
elaborated on a number of the more important initiatives, including
the follow-up to the United Kingdom/Caribbean Forum; the OECD Harmful
Tax competition issue and the status of the UK financial advisory
on Antigua and Barbuda in the financial services sector.
On the matter of the OECD tax initiative, Prime Minister Bird
stated that there were opportunities for a dialogue, and that it
was important for both sides to get it right.
Mr Ashcroft also had meetings with Mr Wrenford Ferrance, the
Head of the Organisation of National Drug and Control Policy (ONDCP),
Mr Lebrecht Hesse, the regulatory Authority (ISFRA) and Mr Wright
George, the Director of ISFRA.
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High
Commissioner "cautiously optimistic" about OECD talks
Antigua and Barbuda's High Commissioner to London, Sir Ronald
Sanders, was one of two Caribbean representatives on a Working
Group established by OECD and non-OECD members to discuss the OECD's
initiative on "Harmful Tax Competition". The other Caribbean
representative was the Prime Minister of Barbados, the Rt Honourable
Owen Arthur who co-chaired the Group.
The OECD Secretariat claims that 35 jurisdictions around the
world compete with their member states on cross border tax matters
in ways which they find harmful. The OECD Secretariat has threatened
that if the jurisdictions do not comply with OECD devised stipulations,
sanctions will be applied against them by OECD member countries.
The meeting of the Working Group in London from 26th to 28th
January followed a Consultation between OECD and non-OECD member
countries in Barbados on 8-9 January when it was decided that the
Working Group would try to agree a mutually acceptable process
for taking forward work on cross border tax issues including the
creation of a global tax forum.
At the end of the meeting, Sir Ronald said he was "no more
than cautiously optimistic".
The full text of his statement appears below:
"The non-OECD members of the Working Group, established
in Barbados after a high-level consultation on 8-9 January 2001,
between the OECD and non-OECD jurisdictions, remain committed to
the creation of a consultative political process that includes
the widest possible participation, and to the creation of a truly
global forum. The non-OECD members believe such a forum should
consider the legitimate interests of all jurisdictions, and establish
standards that command the respect and support of the international
community with respect to tax matters which have cross border implications.
It is true to say that the non-OECD members were unanimous and
firm in their positions under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister
of Barbados, the Rt Honourable Owen Arthur.
I believe that we came to London ready and willing to cooperate
fully with the OECD members of the Working Group to achieve this
objective that was clearly set at the Barbados meeting.
We were dismayed that, at the outset of the meeting on Friday,
26th January, the OECD members of the Group made no reference to
the considerable progress that had been made at the Barbados meeting;
instead they repeated the unilateral and arbitrary process that
the OECD Secretariat had been demanding in the months prior to
the Barbados consultation.
In a spirit of genuine good faith and with a strong commitment
to finding an acceptable process, the non-OECD members of the Working
Group made a formal proposal to the OECD members in which we:
- recalled the clear remit of the Barbados meeting;
- offered, by 31st July 2001, to publicly confirm our commitment to the three
broad principles of transparency, non-discrimination and effective exchange
of information to which we had agreed at Barbados;
- resolved to establish, by 31st July 2001, a truly global tax forum with membership
open to all jurisdictions that publicly committed to the three principles
- committed to implementing the decisions of the global forum by 31st December
2005, the very date that the OECD Secretariat had itself set for accomplishing
the implementation of a plan to end harmful tax practices.
- committed to the establishment of a dispute resolution mechanism for matters
of international taxation.
I believe that it is true to say that the non-OECD members of
the Working Group were deeply disappointed when the response of
the OECD members continued to insist on the original unilateral
process created by the OECD Secretariat and on the retention of
a forum devised and controlled by the OECD, including insisting
that there could be no negotiation of the definition and details
of the three broad principles.
I believe it is also true to say that we were also alarmed that,
in their proposal, the OECD members persisted in their desire to
name and shame jurisdictions as non cooperative even though it
is evident both from the Barbados consultation and the high level
of participation in the present London meeting that all the targeted
jurisdictions are willing to cooperate with the OECD and other
members of the international community in fully addressing all
tax matters.
Nonetheless, we persevered in our desire to find a mutually acceptable
solution by repeating the firm commitments we had made in our first
proposal and adding to it that the truly global forum should use,
as one of its working documents, the OECD interpretation of the
three principles as set out in the Memorandum of Understanding
which the Secretariat sent to targeted jurisdictions. In this connection,
the non-OECD members undertook to present its own understanding
of the three principles by 31st July 2001.
We further proposed that by 1st May 2001, the Working Group should
produce detailed proposals and a timetable for the creation of
a global tax forum.
We took account of the position of the OECD members that they
have no authority from their Ministers to negotiate beyond the
remit given to them at the last Ministerial meeting of the OECD.
Therefore, we suggested that they should transmit our proposal
to their Ministers and seek authority to negotiate in a context
in which the threat of sanctions is removed to allow for good faith
negotiations. In this connection, we proposed that the meeting
of Working Group should be adjourned, but not closed, to allow
it to resume at an early date with a view to continuing to seek
an acceptable way forward.
At the end of the day, I believe it is true to say that the meeting
achieved a better understanding of each side's position, and, in
this context, progress was made. It remains our hope that the OECD
members of the Working Group will recommend to their governments
that (a) they withdraw the threat of sanctions so that we could
enter into good faith discussions, (b) they agree to the establishment
of a truly global forum in which the OECD will play an important
part, and (c) the OECD definition of the three broad principles
transparency, effective exchange of information and non-discrimination)
should be an important part of the agenda of the proposed Global
Tax Forum.
I am now no more than cautiously optimistic that the OECD will
find it possible to move forward in the truly inclusive way we
have proposed."
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Labour department employment
services headed towards computerization
The Labour Department has taken another step towards the computerization
of its Employment Services.
Mr John Weisenburger, a consultant to the United States Department
of Labour conducted a two-day workshop at the Labour Department
on the 11th and 12th January, 2001. Eighteen officers benefited
from the workshop which covered a coding system to enhance the
collection management and use of data in a computerized environment.
Mr Weisenburger's trip was sponsored by the United States Department
of Labour as part of its agreement to provide technical assistance,
which should culminate in the full computerization of the Employment
Services in the Labour Departments in the Caribbean.
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Ministerial
changes to facilitate Medical Benefits Audit
 Having
reshuffled Cabinet portfolios early in January, Prime Minister
Lester Bird was compelled to make two further changes by mid-month.
On 12th January, Mr Bird announced that "with the agreement
of Health Minister Bernard Percival", he had decided to "separate
the Medical Benefits Scheme from the Health portfolio pending the
results of an independent audit now being carried out of the Scheme's
operations".
The Prime Minister said that he had taken this decision with Minister
Percival's agreement following a meeting with Opposition Leader,
Baldwin Spencer, when attention was drawn to allegations in the
press concerning impropriety by two Ministers of Government - Minister
of Justice and Legal Affairs, Dr Errol Cort, and Minister Bernard
Percival.
 Both
Ministers have strongly denied the allegations, and both have stated
that they welcome the audit that is presently being conducted.
At the meeting with the Opposition Leader, the Prime Minister
said that it was essential that he await the findings of the independent
audit before implementing any measure about the allegations. He
emphasised that any action taken before the results of the investigation
could be construed as "prejudging the situation".
However, Mr Bird agreed with Mr Spencer that it was necessary
that the two Ministers, against whom allegations have been made,
should have no connection with the Medical Benefits Scheme. Consequently,
he raised the matter with Minister Percival who readily agreed
that Ministerial responsibility should be assigned to another Ministry
pending the outcome of the audit. As a result, responsibility for
Medical Benefits was assigned to Home Affairs Minister John E St
Luce.
A few days after, it was pointed out that under the law, responsibility
for Medical Benefits had to fall to the Minister of Health. Therefore,
in order to conform with the law, the Prime Minister was compelled
on 23rd January to switch the portfolios of Ministers St Luce and
Percival, making the latter Minister of Home Affairs and the former
Minister of Health with responsibility for the Medical Benefits
Scheme.
In making the announcement of his decision to switch the two
Ministers, Mr Bird said, "My decision is not a judgement of
the allegations that have been made; it conforms with the requirements
of the law and underscores confidence that the audit, now in progress,
is not subject to influence by any individual against whom allegations
have been levelled."
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The
first babies of the Millennium
 "For
Unto Us A Boy Is Born", was the song being sung in the Maternity
Ward of the Holberton Hospital on New Year's Day, as a baby boy
was born to Ms.Schenell Richards of Villa, at exactly 1:05 AM on
Monday, January 01, 2001.
The second infant, another boy, was born to Ms. Merrita Francis
of Gray's Farm at 5:25 AM.
For the past few years, the number of female children born in
Antigua and Barbuda has outnumbered the male births.
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ANTIGUA
not ready to sign Caribbean Court accords
 Antigua
and Barbuda is not ready to sign the regional agreement establishing
the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), according to Attorney General
Dr Errol Cort.
"I also advise that Antigua and Barbuda is not yet in a
position to formally indicate its interest to sign the agreements
establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)," he told
the Guyana-based headquarters of the 15-nation Caribbean Community
(CARICOM).
In his letter to CARICOM Secretariat's Legal Consultant and Officer-in-Charge,
Duke Pollard, he noted that the issue of membership of the CCJ
was being addressed by a Constitutional Review Commission (CRC)
as only a referendum could decide whether Antigua and Barbuda should
break ties with Britain's Privy Council.
"As you are aware, the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda
specifically requires a referendum as a condition precedent to
abolishing the Privy Council as the final Court of Appeal," he
said in the January 16 letter.
Chairman of the CRC, Sir Fred Philip, acknowledged that there
were some "rumblings" during public hearings about whether
the CCJ would enjoy political independence but the majority of
persons spoke in favour of abolishing the Privy Council as the
court of last resort.
"So far, we have had four or five oral submissions.... the
majority of the people who have spoken here have spoken in terms
of having a regional court," Sir Fred said.
Cort did not attend the Sixth Special Meeting of the Legal Affairs
Committee which was held from January 23 to 24 in Guyana because
of "parliamentary commitments." At that meeting, the
preparatory committee delivered a status report on progress being
made in setting up the CCJ. Attorneys General and Ministers of
Legal Affairs, according to a statement from the CARICOM Secretariat,
also worked on an agreement establishing the regional Court as
well as addressed initiatives on the rules of court as they relate
to the original jurisdiction of the CCJ.
There were questions surrounding possible political interference
in the appointment of judges, independence in the handing down
of decisions and adequate funding for the court.
Critics of the CCJ are usually pointed in the direction of the
smooth operation of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
(OECS) Court of Appeal.
The CCJ is intended to be a hybrid institution - a municipal
court of last resort and an international court with compulsory
and exclusive jurisdiction in respect of the interpretation and
application of the 1973 Treaty of Chaguaramas that established
CARICOM.
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Defence
Force soldier shoots himself accidentally
An Officer of the Defence Force on guard duty at the home
of Minister of Public Works, Asot Michael, shot himself accidentally
on Wednesday, 10th January.
The soldier, Private Second Class Fitzroy Robins, was rushed
to hospital where emergency surgery was performed probably saving
his life. The shooting caused widespread speculation in the community
with many doubting that the soldier's wounds were self-inflicted.
However, in a television interview from his hospital bed a few
days after the incident, PFC Robins described in detail how he
came to shoot himself.
He said that in violation of army regulations, he had two bullets
in the breech of his automatic weapon and he had been practising
a technique "to disarm" a weapon. He had been taught
the technique in Canada while on a training programme. Part of
the technique, as he described it, was to swing the barrel of the
gun toward himself while releasing the magazine holding the ammunition.
He demonstrated to television viewers how he failed to release
the magazine, pulling the trigger instead. After the first bullet
hit him, his body tensed causing him to squeeze the trigger a second
time before dropping the weapon.
While his wounds were serious, he was still sufficiently capable
to run to the door of Minister Michael's house where a number of
people, including Prime Minister Lester Bird, were gathered. They
immediately bundled him into a car and despatched him to the Holberton
Hospital where he was operated on immediately.
In the television interview, PFC Robins retracted an earlier
story in which he said he slipped and fell causing the weapon to
fire. He admitted that he had fabricated the story because he knew
he had violated army regulations both by playing with the weapon
and keeping bullets in the breech.
The interview ended the speculation of the circumstances surrounding the shooting
incident, and PFC Robins is continuing to recuperate well from the incident.
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Prime Minister Lester
Bird implements Commonwealth Review of Barbuda
Prime Minister Lester Bird has taken concrete action to implement
the recommendations of the Commonwealth Review of Barbuda.
On Friday 26th January, Mr Bird met a delegation from the Barbuda
Council led by its Chairman, Arthur Nibbs, and presented them with
a document which will form the agenda of the first meeting of a
Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) made up of Government and Council
representatives.
The creation of the JCC is one of the principal recommendations
of the Commonwealth Review Team of Canadian Jurist, Pierre Bienvenu,
and Dr Denis Benn, Professor of Public Policy at the University
of the West Indies. The Commonwealth Team spent several weeks on
Antigua and Barbuda last year reviewing the operation of the arrangements
between the Government and the Council which were agreed at the
1980 Constitutional Conference that led to independence.
The report was formally handed over to Prime Minister Bird and
Chairman Nibbs by Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon at
a public ceremony last November.
In the document that the Prime Minister gave to the Barbuda Council,
it is proposed that the first formal meeting of the JCC be held
on Monday 5th February and that the content of the document form
the agenda for the meeting.
The document proposes that the JCC should comprise four representatives
each from the Government and the Council with the Chairman being
the Minister of Finance and the Chairman of the Barbuda Council
being the Deputy.
According to the document, while Government representatives would
be the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, the Financial
Secretary, and the Minister of Home Affairs who has parliamentary
responsibility for Local Government, the Barbuda Council is free
to propose its three other members of the JCC. However it is suggested
that one of the Council members should be the Council Secretary
since matters of financial reporting and costings of projects would
necessarily form an important part of the deliberations of the
JCC.
The JCC will meet every month for the first three months. Thereafter,
meetings will be held every two months. However, a specific meeting
may be requested by the Chairman or Deputy Chairman to resolve
any issues that might arise between meetings.
A key recommendation of the Commonwealth Review is that where
the JCC is unable to reach agreement by majority vote on a development
project, the members may vote to appoint a mediator to facilitate
a decision.
In his document, Prime Minister Bird has suggested that their
should be a list of mediators who are persons of eminence in the
Commonwealth known for their capacity for conflict resolution and
objectivity, and who have experience in law, public administration,
financial and economic issues. A final qualification is that these
persons should have no direct connection with the Government or
the Barbuda Council. The Prime Minister has asked that the fist
meeting should agree to a list of mediators.
The detailed document presented by the Prime Minister deals with
the work programme of the JCC and its governance and decision-making
procedures.
Prime Minister Bird said, "It is important that the Joint
Consultative Committee start work of substance as soon as possible.
Therefore, I have suggested that the first formal meeting depute
certain responsibilities to a number of committees so that the
JCC has data, projects and proposals before it in relation to a
development plan for Barbuda, financing the work, and phasing the
transfer of electricity and water to the Council ".
Mr Bird added, "There should be no doubt about the Government's
intention to make the recommendations in the Commonwealth Review
work. We are taking a practical and realistic approach to implementing
the recommendations and we look forward to the full cooperation
of the Council in the interest of Barbuda and the nation as a whole".
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Low-income
houses for Barbuda
Government is keeping its promise to construct a number of low-income
houses in Barbuda.
According to Parliamentary Secretary with special responsibility
for Barbuda Affairs, Senator Rueben James, some of the materials
have arrived and are being processed at the Customs Department.
However, he said construction will not begin until discussions
between the Government and the Council are completed.
James said the government sees this as giving Barbudans the privilege
to own their own homes. He said the government is also aware that
Barbudans are prohibited by the Council's action from using land
as collateral, so special arrangement will be made for financing.
Two model houses will be constructed shortly. Persons desirous
of obtaining one these homes can apply at the Barbuda Agency in
Barbuda.
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Williams, Jeremy,
Gregory among nominees
Phenomenal long and middle distance runner, Janill Williams,
emerging West Indies pacer, Kerry Jeremy, top striker Gayson Gregory
and rising golf star, Kamesha Anthony are among 25 nominees for
Antigua and Barbuda's 2000 sports man and sports woman-of-the-year
title.
Williams, who won double gold in the 1,500 and 3,000 metres at
the CARIFTA Games in Grenada and the female segment of the OECS
half-marathon in Antigua last year is a firm favourite to retain
the sportswoman title which she has won for the past three years.
20-year-old Kerry Jeremy, the young medium pacer, who was selected
for the West Indies touring party in Australia was nominated by
the Antigua Cricket Association.
Some of the other nominees are Dorian Allen (boxing), Robert
Marsh (cycling), Bernia Richards and Kenny Charles (domino), Gergetta
Lewis and Ghamale Henry (martial arts), Condace Jones and Marlon
Davis (netball), Daphne Morris and Jerry Browne (softball), Ariel
Moulon and Anse Henry (swimming), Isoke Perry and Carlton Bedminister
(tennis), Lindia Nicholas and Steve Graham (volleyball) and Alex
Thomas (warri).
The awards ceremony is scheduled for February 10.
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Caribbean Star in alliance
with three carriers
 Caribbean
Star Airlines, a privately-owned Antigua-based airline, has signed
agreements with three international carriers, Virgin Atlantic,
British Airways and Air Canada, the airline announced on January
23.
"This is a progressive step for us to be recognised as an
option for travel within the region by major international airlines.
These carriers mobilise a significant number of passengers into
the Caribbean annually, and we are happy to be in a position to
provide travel possibilities," Marketing Director Sandra Scotland
said.
This agreement will allow passengers travelling into and out
of the Caribbean to be ticketed for travel with Caribbean Star
Airlines from their point of origin to their destination.
The interline agreement allows the international air carriers
to use Caribbean Star services as part of the passenger's journey
as well as tagging their luggage all the way to their final Caribbean
destination on Caribbean Star.
It also provides the international air carriers with the right
to offer Caribbean Star as an airline of choice and to provide
the consumer with transfer from origin and destination.
Caribbean Star said it was holding talks with other major international
carriers but did not give any details on the nature of those discussions.
Caribbean Star operates to Antigua, St Vincent, Grenada, Trinidad,
Dominica, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis and more recently to St
Lucia through an alliance with Helen Air.
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Workers converge on
St. John's
 Workers
from the Public Works Department (PWD), Central Board of Health
(CBH) and the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA), converged
on the St. John's on 28th and 29th January to continue the modernization
of the capital city.
On Saturday 28th, the PWD workers resurfaced the lower section
of Redcliffe Street and on Sunday 29th, APUA worked on several
telephone poles, while the CBH workers power-hosed several of the
city's main roads. In a cooperative effort, workmen on the new
Vendor's Mall took down the protective, constructive fence on Thames
Street to allow PWD workers to complete road works which they began
on Saturday.
"The Antigua Labour Party (ALP) promised in our last Manifesto
that we were going to set about upgrading a number of things in
the city, and I am sure that the electorate is looking on keenly
at how we are consistently going about keeping these promises," said
Prime Minister Lester Bird.
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Government
wins High Court case against Half Moon Bay owners: Gives them
6 months to perform
The Antigua and Barbuda government has won the High Court case
against owners of Half Moon Bay Hotel.
On Friday, 12th January High Court Judge, H. S. Moe, discharged
two injunctions that the owners of Half Moon Bay Hotel had secured
on 7th and 8th December restraining the government from acting
to compulsorily acquire the Hotel property.
On December 7th, the House of Representatives adopted a Resolution
for the compulsory acquisition of the Hotel after its owners had
closed it for five years and three months putting employees out
of work, reducing revenue to the State and depriving the country
of one of its principal tourist resorts. During the debate in the
House, representatives of both the government and the opposition
lamented the hotel closure and the refusal of the owners to reopen
it.
On the same day that the Resolution was being adopted in the
House, lawyers for the owners of Half Moon Bay Hotel applied for
an injunction restraining the government from taking steps to acquire
the property. Since the government was not aware that the in junction
was being sought, no representations could be made to the Court
and the injunction was granted.
However, in his High Court Judgement on Friday, 12th January,
Justice Moe found that "there is no serious issue or question
to be tried." He found that, in bringing their case to the
Court, the owners of the Hotel were "not attacking the law" but
rather the manner in which the government exercised its discretion
in applying the law. The Judge found that the government did act
in accordance with the law. He said that, in a memorandum from
the Cabinet Secretary, the government had set out clearly the purposes
for which the property is to be acquired. He ruled that neither
the government nor Parliament had violated the Constitution.
After Justice Moe delivered his decision, the owners of Half
Moon Bay made a further application to him to stop the implementation
of his ruling. The Judge listened carefully to arguments from the
legal representatives of both sides and then rejected the application
by the owners of the Hotel.
The government has welcomed the High Court's ruling as a vindication
of its position that Half Moon Bay Hotel is a vital asset for the
nation's tourism industry and it cannot be allowed to lie fallow.
After the Court's ruling, Government gave the owners of Half
Moon Bay Resort six months to perform.
Tourism Minister, Molwyn Joseph said, "Notwithstanding the fact that we
have prevailed (in court), Cabinet decided that the owners, having claimed
once again that they are in the position to undertake the project and they
have the finances in place, will be granted an additional six months to perform.
This is however without prejudice to our position," Mr. Joseph added, "and
in order for the owners to take advantage of the extension of time, the government
has established five conditions."
The five conditions are:-
1. Documented proof of the owners'
financial ability to undertake and complete the project to be
approved by the government.
2. Requirement that the owners
develop and present to the government the plans and proposals for
the construction and operation of a four to five star resort with
at least 200 rooms and an 18-hole PGA-rated golf course, plus the
other amenities that are normally associated with this standard
of facility.
3. Immediate settlement of all outstanding
monies owing to the staff and workers that were previously employed
by the hotel.
4. Construction should commence
within six months and completed by November 2002, just before the
beginning of the 2002-2003 tourist season.
5. The above proposal is made without
prejudice and in a demonstration of good faith. The government
would wish for the owners to agree that, should the project not
proceed in the mutually agreed timeframe, they would not oppose
an acquisition of the property for public purpose, namely a tourism
development.
Joseph met with the owners' representative, their lawyer Joyce
Kentish and Attorney-General Dr. Errol Cort on January 22.
"The proposals were discussed with the owners' representative
so we would achieve some sort of agreement so they (the owners)
can proceed. After all, if they are claiming that they have the
capacity to perform I can't see why we can't have an agreement
at the end of he day," Joseph said.
The country's Tourism Minister noted that from the very onset
government approached the Half Moon Bay issue "with good faith."
"The acquisition of this property, like any other property,
is done as a last resort, having exhausted all other means of getting
investments in Antigua and Barbuda. In this particular case the
court has ruled that the government acted legally, and therefore
the injunction that was sought by the owner was turned down by
the court," Joseph added.
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Carib
Aviation announces Barbuda schedule
Carib Aviation has announced its new schedule for Barbuda,
which became effective on 8th January, 2001.
The morning flight will be operated as a shuttle service, with
the eight-seater Islander operating three flights, leaving Antigua
at 7 a.m., 8 a.m., and 9 a.m., departing from Barbuda at 7:30 a.m.,
8:30 a.m., and 9:30 a.m.
"The change will allow the public to have increased capacity
to 24 seats to and from Barbuda in the morning, as well as the
convenience of a choice in departure times," said General
Manager Sandra Branker.
Carib Aviation will also provide one flight in the late afternoon,
operated by the 19-seater Otter aircraft, departing Antigua at
5 p.m. and leaving Barbuda at 5:30 p.m.
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LIAT
works out pay arrangement with governments
 The
financially-troubled regional airline LIAT (1974) Limited says
it is paying landing and navigational fees to regional governments
after successfully asking them to reschedule long-outstanding debts.
LIAT's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Gary Cullen, spoke about
the deal. He also rejected suggestions that the airline faced difficulties
in recent times flying to Tortola and Dominica.
Cullen said each of the shareholder governments was told since
last summer that the airline was not immediately in a position
to pay its debt that has accumulated since 1995. "But we will
make every effort to be current from here forward and that is what
we are doing to the greatest extent possible. I am not saying it's
one hundred per cent but we are making every effort, every month
to be as current as possible in paying these charges," he
told the Caribbean News Agency (CANA).
The LIAT chief said that payment system would remain in place
until the financial restructuring of the company was addressed.
He said that as the company showed an operational profit each month,
it was paying taxes as promptly as possible. Despite the debt-burden,
LIAT said its scheduled flights to destinations are not being affected
in any way.
"None of those governments are telling us that that is going
to impede you in terms of continuing your operations," Cullen
said. He rejected suggestions that the Dominica government had
barred LIAT from flying to Cane Field airport because of an EC$1.5
million (US$555,500) debt in landing and navigational fees.
He said that although LIAT's larger planes were not going to
CaneField but through its CaribSky Alliance partners, Air Caribe
and Carib Aviation, LIAT was serving that Dominican destination.
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Government
seeks assistance for drainage problem in Nut Grove
Agriculture Minister Vere Bird Jr. and officials from the Ministries
of Lands and Public Works met on 15th January with the Chinese
Ambassador Yang Shi Xiang.
The Ministry is seeking assistance to correct a drainage problem
in the Nut Grove area, where residents have complained of stagnant
water for years.
Minister Bird said he is seeking the assistance of the Chinese
engineering team to construct a drain in the area to alleviate
the problem.
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New Executive Secretary
at Board of Education
A new Executive Secretary is at the Board of Education. She
is Giselle Isaac - former Assistant Editor of the Antigua Sun.
Isaac says she has inherited a fine staff at the Board and has
pledged her commitment to development of education in Antigua and
Barbuda.
Isaac worked as an administrator and lecturer at St John's University
in the U.S for nine years.
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