American Ambassador J. Richard Blankenship on Wednesday made no apology for the way he has been conducting United States foreign policy in The Bahamas.
Forthrightly addressing a number of wide-ranging issues, Mr. Blankenship, the featured guest speaker on the two-hour ZNS radio talk show “Steve McKinney Live,” said, “We get a lot of credit for things that most people don’t understand what we are doing.”
“I am not ashamed of the way I have conducted US foreign policy. In fact we get quite a few thank you’s from Washington for stepping up our efforts in the drug war, trying to be more effective, more efficient, putting more people behind bars, and requesting the extradition of people,” Ambassador Blankenship told his radio audience.
His views supported by a large percentage of persons calling into the show, Mr Blankenship candidly discussed a variety of controversial issues, including his current relationship with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fred Mitchell, following last December’s aborted US/Bahamas Joint Task Force meeting.
The ambassador initiated or responded to a variety of topics raised by host McKinney and listeners to the show, including: Bail reform (too much talk, too little action); the need for a National Drug Policy, and use by the Bahamas Government of $1.2 million dollars in cash and assets seized; the use of $100,000 contributed by the US for drug demand reduction; Airport Security improvements; the role of the US Bureau of Alcohol and Firearms (ATF) in helping to solve gun-related crimes; the role of American-provided helicopters in the recent finding of the body of a murder victim; whether a missile fired from the Andros testing base was responsible for recent reports of a “crashed” aircraft
(definitely not!); and a June 30 deadline for the Bahamas to decide whether or not to support the US position on an International Criminal Court.
Reiterating a previous “suggestion” that the Bahamas align itself with the US position on Iraq, Mr Blankenship told Mr McKinney, “You’re doggone right we’ll remember” those countries that gave support. But in any event, he stated, “We’ll take care of Iraq.”
“We don’t want there to be any shadow of a doubt on what the American position is on any issue, whether it is Iraq, the Free Trade Agreement or the war on drugs,” the US envoy said.
Elaborating on the issue of Airport Security, Mr Blankenship stressed that the US spends large sums to provide Preclearance services by US Customs and Immigration and Naturalisation Services (INS) officials at Nassau International Airport, and withdrawal of such services would have an “onerous” effect on the Bahamian economy.
And, to those who claim that he does not utilise the right channels when voicing his opinions, Mr. Blankenship said, “We attempt to utilise the diplomatic channels that are available to accomplish the goals and objectives that we have.
“(But) if we are not able to accomplish those goals and objectives in diplomatic channels,” through personal, confidential discussions, “then we will go public with our disagreements,” he said.
His job is to make things happen, which would not necessarily entail making everybody happy, the envoy said, making it clear that, “I work for one person, that is the President of the United States, and as long as I can keep him happy the rest of the people will just have to worry.
“Certainly there are those who would like to think that I have made an enemy out of everyone, but there are some people who call me once a week and compliment me on the job I’m doing,” Ambassador Blankenship said.
“No US Ambassador is going to be confined or restricted in a nation which it considers its ally,” he continued. “It’s ironic that many people feel free to call me when they need things, but they want to hide behind some type of protocol when I have something I need to discuss with them.”
Mr. Blankenship said on occasions when it’s necessary when the US cannot get it point across, or it is not being listened to, he will go public with it.
“That is the United States’ position,” he affirmed. “It doesn’t mean that I am trying to intimidate the Commonwealth of The Bahamas; it doesn’t mean that the Minister of Foreign Affairs has not heard it.”
Responding to a query from Mr McKinney, the envoy described his relationship with Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell as “pretty good.”
Overall, he said, there is 90 percent mutual agreement on most matters, but difficulties mostly centred around “significant” remaining issues, the lack of resolution of which he found “annoying.”
By Keva Lightbourne, The Nassau Guardian
