United States Ambassador to The Bahamas J. Richard Blankenship departed the capital for Washington, D.C. Sunday for a series of meetings that would include discussing the resumption of last week’s U.S.-Bahamian Joint Task Force meeting.
According to a press statement sent to The Guardian Sunday, Ambassador Blankenship will discuss the interrupted meeting when he meets with senior U. S. Government officials this week.
On Friday, Foreign Affairs and Public Service Minister Fred Mitchell adjourned the bi-annual meeting after the Ambassador verbally attacked the drug interdiction efforts of The Bahamas and the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
Ambassador Blankenship said: “Its personnel, boats, its knowledge and its skills must be brought to bear on the drug problem in this country. There is talent and there are resources in the RBDF that are going to waste.”
Once the Ambassador made the “embarrassing” remarks, Minister Mitchell interrupted and postponed the press conference for later that afternoon.
In that press conference, Mr. Mitchell said, “The Bahamas was unexpectedly and unfairly blind-sided by the U.S. Ambassador’s statement concerning The Bahamas as a partner in the drug effort.”
Mr. Mitchell added: “Our dignity as a nation was challenged and law enforcement officers sitting in the room were embarrassed by what appeared to be an attack by the Ambassador on the integrity of their agencies and our national honour.”
Since, the bi-annual meeting was postponed to take place in six weeks. These meetings are closed sessions, but there are press conferences held before the meeting.
Minister revealed that he did approach Ambassador Blankenship about his remarks. He said that his statements also dictated to The Bahamas outlining Mr. Blankenship’s call for appointment of a “Drug Czar” and the adoption of a “National Drug Strategy” by the time discussions resume in 2003 as examples.
Ambassador Blankenship is expected to meet with Secretary Colin Powell, Political Affairs Under Secretary Marc Grossman, and other ranking State Department officials.
While in Washington, Ambassador Blankenship will also be meeting with the Drug Enforcement Administration head Asa Hutchinson, along with other DEA officials responsible for domestic and international operations.
Additionally, Mr. Blankenship will also meeting President George W. Bush’s “Drug Czar,” John Walters, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director and his deputy.
In these meetings Mr. Blankenship will brief State Department officials on the state of the bilateral relationship, in his meetings with the heads of DEA and ONDCP.
Mr. Blankenship will be focusing on ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of bilateral efforts to interdict the flow of the illegal drugs whose impact is so harmful to the peoples of The Bahamas and the United States.
By Khashan Poitier, The Nassau Guardian
