BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ALMOST a week after his silent departure from the Federation, Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas has confirmed that he is attending talks on the African continent.
In a telephone conversation posted to the Communication Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister’s website (www.cuopm.com), Douglas can be heard discussing his trip with Press Secretary Erasmus Williams. The Kittitian-Nevisian leader revealed he was presently in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, after attending an African Union (AU) Summit in Ethiopia from January 31 to February 2.
In his explanation for the unannounced departure and reason for the African trip, PM Douglas said, “On Wednesday of last week, the Libyan Ambassador for St. Kitts-Nevis brought a personal invitation from Libyan President Muammar al-Gaddafi to the AU summit and to a bilateral meeting with the government of Libya. I left St. Kitts on Saturday, accompanied by [former government minister] Earl Asim Martin.
“I hope the people of St. Kitts-Nevis understand the reason for my absence and the need for not making any statement before the mission was accomplished.”
Douglas described the summit as being “exceptionally important” because the Caribbean delegation had demonstrated its commitment to the region becoming a fixed area of the AU. He also noted they had been able to put forward a strong case for assistance to earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
From there, the delegation travelled to Tripoli where they discussed a number of initiatives with high-ranking Libyan officials including the establishment of a Libyan diplomatic mission, a development bank and an investment holding company.
“We first looked at the decision of the Libyan government and the concurrence of the eastern Caribbean states to have a diplomatic presence by way of establishing the People’s Bureau, which is equivalent to a Libyan embassy.
“Secondly, we considered an investment bank to be located in the Eastern Caribbean and from which investment would flow for financing important projects in the sub-region. Then there was the establishment of a holding company in which important investments would be made by the Libyan government, as it proceeds to expand and diversify its economy.”
Also coming out of the talks was an agreement to establish an OECS diplomatic mission in Tripoli.
The People’s Bureau will be housed in St. Lucia, while the Libyan Development Bank will be based in the Federation. Location of the investment company is still to be decided by OECS leaders.
“The proposal made by St. Kitts-Nevis has been finally accepted by the Libyan government,” said Douglas. “We look forward for additional financing to support a number of important developmental projects critical for the continued advancement of our quality of life.”
Douglas disclosed that he met with al-Gaddafi personally, during which he conveyed the best wishes from the government and people of St. Kitts. He stressed that the Libyan President had expressed “full support” for the establishment of the bank in the Federation as well as the other developments.
The Prime Minister leaves Libya today (Feb. 4) for London and promised he would be back in St. Kitts within a day or two.
