BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FORMER Deputy Prime Minister, His Excellency Sam Condor is of the view that criticisms of him operating from St. Kitts and not his New York-based office are politically motivated.
Condor was at the time speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Opening of Diplomatic Week 2019 held at the St. Kitts Marriott Hotel.
It is being bandied in some quarters that Condor, the Permanent Representative of St. Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations, has an office in New York, which is being funded by taxpayers, but he chose to operate out of the Federation rather than in the United States of America.
In response, Condor said: “I am not a career diplomat; I am a politician turned diplomat. The history of St. Kitts and Nevis at the UN is that we have never employed career diplomats as the UN Ambassador. In fact, I am the fifth serving UN Ambassador. We had Dr. William Herbert; he was the first and he never went to the US.
“We had Mr. Lee Moore, who was there on and off-hand. Then we had Dr. Christmas, a career diplomat, and he basically spent more time there. And then we had Delano Bart, who was again a politician; Attorney General turned diplomat”.
Condor pointed out that politicians who are appointed in positions such as the one he holds, have different roles to play as career diplomats.
“In terms of my advocacy and involvement, I don’t know if I am the best person to say it, but, really, criticisms, and maybe because I am a politician, have been more political than diplomacy.
“In fact, I feel honoured and privileged to be serving my country at the UN at this time. I don’t want to get arrogant, but I have served my people and represented my country as good as anybody else has done,” he added.
He stated that his experience as a former Minister and former Deputy Prime Minister has placed him in an excellent position to understand what the UN and its role are all about.
“And so I have done that! And like I said, maybe I am not the best person to say it, but since you asked I gave you the courtesy of my answer and to say basically what I think, but I am not the best judge of that question. But you will find out from other people who are in position to judge. But I think I have served my people and country well,” the Ambassador concluded.
Following Team Unity’s victory in the 2015 Federal Election, Sam Condor was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary Plenipotentiary to the United Nations on May 27, 2015.
