Days after the surprise resignation of Ambassador Blankenship, the controversial diplomat complimented The Bahamas on putting American interests before CARICOM’s, announced the date of the bi-annual Joint Task Force meeting, and ridiculed suggestions that he was fired.
In the first interview since hisresignation was announced, Thursday, Ambassador Blankenship said the U.S. is proud of The Bahamas’ decision to back the Organisation of American States (OAS)’s position on Cuba’s treatment of pro-democracy activists.
The letter was recently circulated at an OAS meeting in New York and signed by Bahamas ambassador Joshua Sears, who is also the Bahamian representative to the OAS.
Support was split between OAS member countries, with 17 on either side.
Haiti and Mexico did not support the OAS letter. The Bahamas was the only CARICOM member to sign.
Yesterday Mr. Blankenship said: “We’re very happy and proud of the fact that in the OAS The Bahamas did sign a kind of sense of the assembly letter recognising the human rights abuses and atrocities that took place in Cuba recently.”
By Dominic Duncombe, The Tribune
