New US Ambassador vows to continue open, constructive dialogue …..- not intimidated by Wikileaks revelations
Written by
Friday, 16 September 2011 02:48
Source - Guyana Chronicle
President Bharrat Jagdeo with new U.S. Ambassador Brent Hardt
President Bharrat Jagdeo and new United States Ambassador to Guyana,Brent Hardt, yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to open, candid and constructive dialogue between the Government and people of the two nations.
The commitment came after Ambassador Hardt presented his Letters of Credence to the Head of State at the Office of the President, filling
a post that has been vacant for quite some time.
He outlined, during a media briefing, his priorities to continue the effort of forging a close and productive partnership with the Government and people of Guyana, and said he is in no way bothered or discouraged about integrity being compromised by Wikileaks revelations on Guyana.
Although acknowledging that he is not at liberty to pronounce directly on any of the revelations, Ambassador Hardt referred to the process of communicating with their Washington DC office, which he said is shared by other governments around the world.
“What embassies generate is raw material that makes policy, but is not policy… so it’s part of our job to try to understand what’s happening in society. We hear impressions, we hear opinions and we do our best to analyze what’s going on and provide that to our policymakers in the United States, who then make decisions,” Ambassador Hardt said.
The leaked US cables have been headlining several of the local, regional and international press, prompting heavy criticism and rejection by some governments; but President Jagdeo has been on record calling for all revelations on Guyana to be made public.
“I said so knowing that they may very well be things that some of these ambassadors wrote that are negative about the government; but what I was more interested in is… how the US Government makes policies and I’m sure it must be of great interest to people in Guyana,” President Jagdeo said at a media briefing recently.
Reference was made to a recent report on trafficking in persons in Guyana by a US Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) which claimed that over 900 kids were rescued from extreme forms of child labour.
The report was vetoed by President Jagdeo who concluded that his own inquiries from the opposition, embassy offices and United Nations found no result of child labour of this magnitude, but later revealed that the figure was invented by the authors who were being paid for the job.
The new US Ambassador said he is more focused on ongoing programmes in partnership with the Guyana government, making reference to HIV/AIDS which he described as a model for the rest of the region, and continued focus on economic diversity, drug trafficking and combating terrorism.
“USAID (United States Agency for International Development) has been looking at new niches where Guyanese businesses can export to new markets… we certainly look forward to working with the government and civic society to ensure that the elections are fair and open and we have every reason to believe that they will be,” Ambassador Hardt said.
He disclosed that some aspects of his dialogue with President Jagdeo yesterday focused on the important contribution the Diaspora community is making to both countries, and the United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s advocacy for the Diaspora to be more engaged in their countries.
Last Updated ( Friday, 16 September 2011 02:57 )
Written by
Friday, 16 September 2011 02:48
Source - Guyana Chronicle
President Bharrat Jagdeo with new U.S. Ambassador Brent HardtPresident Bharrat Jagdeo and new United States Ambassador to Guyana,Brent Hardt, yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to open, candid and constructive dialogue between the Government and people of the two nations.
The commitment came after Ambassador Hardt presented his Letters of Credence to the Head of State at the Office of the President, filling
a post that has been vacant for quite some time.
He outlined, during a media briefing, his priorities to continue the effort of forging a close and productive partnership with the Government and people of Guyana, and said he is in no way bothered or discouraged about integrity being compromised by Wikileaks revelations on Guyana.
Although acknowledging that he is not at liberty to pronounce directly on any of the revelations, Ambassador Hardt referred to the process of communicating with their Washington DC office, which he said is shared by other governments around the world.
“What embassies generate is raw material that makes policy, but is not policy… so it’s part of our job to try to understand what’s happening in society. We hear impressions, we hear opinions and we do our best to analyze what’s going on and provide that to our policymakers in the United States, who then make decisions,” Ambassador Hardt said.
The leaked US cables have been headlining several of the local, regional and international press, prompting heavy criticism and rejection by some governments; but President Jagdeo has been on record calling for all revelations on Guyana to be made public.
“I said so knowing that they may very well be things that some of these ambassadors wrote that are negative about the government; but what I was more interested in is… how the US Government makes policies and I’m sure it must be of great interest to people in Guyana,” President Jagdeo said at a media briefing recently.
Reference was made to a recent report on trafficking in persons in Guyana by a US Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) which claimed that over 900 kids were rescued from extreme forms of child labour.
The report was vetoed by President Jagdeo who concluded that his own inquiries from the opposition, embassy offices and United Nations found no result of child labour of this magnitude, but later revealed that the figure was invented by the authors who were being paid for the job.
The new US Ambassador said he is more focused on ongoing programmes in partnership with the Guyana government, making reference to HIV/AIDS which he described as a model for the rest of the region, and continued focus on economic diversity, drug trafficking and combating terrorism.
“USAID (United States Agency for International Development) has been looking at new niches where Guyanese businesses can export to new markets… we certainly look forward to working with the government and civic society to ensure that the elections are fair and open and we have every reason to believe that they will be,” Ambassador Hardt said.
He disclosed that some aspects of his dialogue with President Jagdeo yesterday focused on the important contribution the Diaspora community is making to both countries, and the United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s advocacy for the Diaspora to be more engaged in their countries.
Last Updated ( Friday, 16 September 2011 02:57 )