BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - CONTRARY to the allegations made by former National Security Minister Dwyer Astaphan, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis are still renting the building that houses the Consulate in Dubai.
Speaking with SKNVibes yesterday morning (Apr. 19), Nevis’ Deputy Premier and Federal Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon. Mark Brantley categorically stated that the Dubai Consulate in the United Arab Emirates is being controlled by the Team Unity Government and indicated that the new Administration has the sole responsible for renting the building within which it is housed.
“I do not know where Dwyer got his information from the statement he made and I can’t speak to what she allegedly might have said, because I have no proof of that. But what I can say is that the Consulate in Dubai is being provided by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis on commercial terms just like we do in other countries and I don’t know of any other arrangement.”
Last Tuesday (Apr. 14) on his weekly radio programme ‘The Operating Room’ aired on WINN FM, Astaphan said he heard Alex Woodley was still occupying the Dubai Consulate because the building is owned by a friend of hers.
“...I am told, I heard yesterday that of Friday last week she was still occupying the Consulate in Dubai. Now, how on earth could that be? Somebody tell me I am wrong. But just about half hour before the programme tonight a lady told me that the reason the Government hasn’t gotten her out of the place is that the place is owned by somebody close to her.
“Well I want to know if Alex Woodley and that person close to her responsible for the Consular duties of the country in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, and who is still giving them authority to do that. Because if the place belongs to a friend of hers, move to another place if you want to keep a Consulate in Dubai. These are the kind of things that exasperate me. They don’t know their place,” Astaphan told his listening audience.
However, when asked if Woodley is still responsible for executing Consular duties in Dubai, the Foreign Affairs Minister responded in the negative.
“We have discontinued that relationship and she now has no status regarding the Consulate.”
Brantley, in response to which individual had replaced Alex Woodley as the Consul General, stated that “we have not finalised that arrangement” and same would be done in the near future as the Team Unity Government is still engaged in the transition process.
The Dubai Consulate was established by the former Administration which was led by the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas who, in a December 6, 2012 press release, stated that the Consul General, Alex Woodley, came amply qualified as she had not only been in the Foreign Ministry for several years as Deputy Consul General in the New York Mission, but she was also academically qualified for the position.
The former Prime Minister, during his visit to Dubai in December 2012, had given one of the reasons for having a Consulate in the United Arab Emirates; a subject which had caused much consternation between himself and then Deputy Prime Minister Sam Condor.
“Our intention is to help to promote our country, to be better able to serve you our nationals who are working or residing here as well as our citizens who are here and who may be globally located.”
