Basseterre, St.Kitts, November 30th 2013 - (Team UNITY Communications):- It took the government of St.Kitts and Nevis more than one week to formulate a response to the explosive diplomatic scandal surrounding the issuance of the diplomatic passport to an Iranian citizen, Alireza Moghadam. When the response came today via two statements in Parliament, the government failed miserably in allaying the concerns of the thinking citizens of St.Kitts and Nevis.
Team Unity’s Leader, Dr. the Hon Timothy Harris, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, slammed the illegitimate government for failing to address the serious questions of public concern raised by the diplomatic scandal and the implications for the St.Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Program. Dr. Harris was interviewed on Winnfm Radio by its General Manager, Clive Bacchus.
Dr. Harris castigated Nisbett and Douglas for their failure to address the pertinent issues and for their attempt to use subterfuge and distraction rather than answering the questions truthfully. After all the verbosity of the government in Parliament coming from its illegitimate minority leader and novice Foreign Affairs Minister; both Nisbett and Douglas have failed to answer these pertinent questions:
(1) Did Alireza Moghadam pay $1 million for his passport?
(2) If the claim by Moghadam is true is there a copy of a receipt in the treasury, the SIDF or Citizenship by Investment Program to support Moghadam’s claim?
(3) Why was Moghadam appointed a Special Envoy to Turkey when St.Kitts and Nevis already have two Honorary Consuls in Turkey, plus Michael Morton, an Honorary Consuls of Turkey resident in St.Kitts and Nevis?
(4) What was significantly better about Mr. Moghadam to have caused the government to appoint this Iranian ahead of professionally qualified nationals with years of experience in diplomacy, such as Wila Franks, formerly in service to the United Nations, Carlisle Richardson, senior diplomat in the St.Kitts and Nevis Mission to the United Nations and Kaye Bass, the most senior officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Basseterre?
(5) Did the government take into account the state of relations between Iran (Moghadam’s country of birth) and Turkey in choosing an Iranian to represent its interest in Turkey?
Dr. Harris noted that Foreign Affairs Minister lied to the Parliament and presented a misleading and false account of the threat to the citizens of St.Kitts and Nevis and our relationship with Canada and the rest of the world.
A written submission to the Cabinet contradicts many of the things that Nisbett relayed in Parliament. The submission indicated that the Canadian government was so concerned about Mr. Moghadam’s entry that it sent an Emissary to St.Kitts and Nevis to discuss the matter. It was made clear to the Cabinet that St.Kitts and Nevis faces the risk of jeopardising its visa free access to Canada.
The government suspended the participation of Iranians and Afghans , but it was not honest enough to tell the citizens of and residents in St.Kitts and Nevis that diplomatic pressure from Canada was the real reason for the abrupt adverse change in policy affecting Iranians and Afghans. Canada further requested a number of documents regarding the citizenship program of St.Kitts and Nevis and its procedures relating to the issuance of passports.
Nisbett told the Cabinet that the visa free status of the people of St.Kitts and Nevis into Canada was under threat. Nisbett drew the alarm of the Cabinet when he wrote “It was evident during the meeting that the matter involving Mr. Moghadam’s entry to Canada may have served as a catalyst and may be the precursor to further actions by the Canadian Authorities.
Nisbett continued “Given the sensitivity of this matter particularly its possible implications for the continuation of the visa free status which the Federation enjoys with Canada, it is imperative that Honorable Colleagues address the issues comprehensively. The majority of the concerns raised are not new, but require further consideration so that the appropriate policy, administrative, legislative changes are affected in the shortest possible time”
“To achieve this, I recommend involvement at the highest level, particularly to the formally engage the relevant authorities in Canada with a view to requesting their technical and/or other support to address the issues raised, notwithstanding our non-receipt of more specific details.”
Given the clear untruths reported in Nisbett’s statement to the Parliament, Dr. Harris has called on Nisbett to apologise or resign.
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