In his communication in the House of Assembly, Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell on Wednesday responded to reports in The Tribune and on ZNS regarding an alleged attack on the Bahamas Embassy in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday.
According to Minister Mitchell, all the information that he has received indicates that the information is erroneous.
He laid a document on the table of the House from Bahamian Ambassador to Haiti Dr. Eugene Newry, which denies any attack.
Dr. Newry explained that Opposition groups gathered in Boyer Square in front of the Embassy around 8:30 Tuesday morning in preparation for a march towards the center of Port-au-Prince. Dr. Newry reported that upon his arrival to the embassy around 9:20 am, demonstrators surrounded his SUV, but on recognizing him they opened a passageway and allowed the vehicle through.
“There was no attack neither on the vehicle nor the Embassy’s gate or property. Any report to the contrary is skewed and not worthy of serious attention,” said Dr. Newry in his letter to Minister Mitchell.
Minister Mitchell added that Dr. Newry said he did not feel threatened at anytime nor were there any anti-Bahamian slogans or anti-Caricom slogans heard by him.
“The embassy’s functions were conducted normally yesterday,” Minister Mitchell said.
Responding to remarks by Minister Mitchell that Dr. Newry did not feel threatened, Leader of the Opposition Alvin Smith said the Ambassador should not become relaxed as demonstrations have proven to get out of control.
“If such were to occur there’s no telling what the demonstrators might do,” Mr. Smith said. “I am saying this because as a Bahamian I am concerned for Bahamians and others who occupy the embassy there and I would wish that the government would seek to increase its surveillance there, its vigilance and that the government would request from the Haitian government that security ought to be heightened around our embassy…we’d rather take precautions now than to be sorry later.”
Minister Mitchell, however, maintained his stance that employees of the Bahamas Embassy are safe.
“There is no question of the government of the Bahamas relaxing about security measures,” he said. “The best information that we have is that there was no threat and there is no threat to the embassy in Haiti. Both the Opposition and the government of Haiti see the Bahamas as a friend.”
He assured parliament that there are security contingency measures in place if a threat should emerge and all necessary precautions will be taken to ensure that personnel in Haiti are safe.
According to Minister Mitchell, CARICOM is considering establishing rules for demonstrations so as to avoid any clashes between the opposing sides.
Meanwhile, Minister Mitchell urged the media to deal sensitively with reporting on matters arising out of Haiti saying that irresponsible reporting could undermine carefully constructed efforts by CARICOM.
CARICOM heads have met separately with Opposition and government leaders in an effort to bring stability to the country’s political landscape.
They are seeking to break a stalemate in the country between President Jean Bertrand Aristide’s supporters and the opposition over the disputed 2000 parliamentary elections.
“The Bahamas and CARICOM have no choice but to engage in seeking to assist in Haiti,” Minister Mitchell said. “To disengage is to court disaster….there is no excuse for misinformation and the purveyors of misinformation should be condemned.”
President Aristide is scheduled to meet with the prime ministers of Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia and The Bahamas in Kingston on January 31, to begin detailed discussions about moving the democratic process forward.
Representatives of the United States, the European Union, Canada and the Organization of American States will join them at the meetings.
Hadassah Hall, The Bahama Journal
