By BRENT DEAN ~ Guardian Senior Reporter ~ brentldean@nasguard.com:
The recent criticism of voting practices of The Bahamas by U.S. Ambassador Nicole Avant should show the government that countries have interests that are separate and aside from personal friendships and relationships, former Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said yesterday.
"The FNM tried to make a meal out of the fact that the PLP had principled positions at the UN and in its foreign policy which was in the best interest of The Bahamas. But they took the opportunity when they were in opposition to score cheap political points, saying we were being anti-American," said Mitchell, the PLP MP for Fox Hill.
"So what is their explanation now? Are they being anti-American because they voted the way they did at the United Nations?"
In an Op-Ed published in The Nassau Guardian on Saturday, Ambassador Avant criticized The Bahamas for its decision to abstain from part of a vote at the United Nations on resolutions on the human rights situations in Iran, Burma and North Korea.
"It is our fervent hope that The Bahamas and others in the Caribbean region who abstained or voted against these resolutions will reconsider their positions. We cannot stand by and wait when people's lives are at stake and the principles that we all purport to share — respect for democracy, the rule of law and human rights — are in jeopardy," said Avant.
The votes on the resolutions condemning the human rights practices in the three countries were held on November 19 and 20, at the United Nations General Assembly's Third Committee.
The three resolutions passed.
The General Assembly allocates to the Third Committee a range of social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues.
Mitchell said that as sovereign countries both The Bahamas and the U.S. have the right to their respective positions on the issue. He said historically The Bahamas and Caribbean countries have stayed away from resolutions specifically condemning countries, as was the case with the recent abstentions.
However, added Mitchell, the last PLP government moved away from this position, siding with the U.S. government on several resolutions at the request of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
When asked about the issue last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Brent Symonette said, "We voted in favor of the resolution. We abstained from the second part of the resolution which requires affirmative action. The resolution this year, to the best of my knowledge, dropped or left out certain other countries which it included last year.
"When we abstained from that vote, we also submitted an explanation — which I think the U.S. ambassador or certainly the State Department would have been fully aware of — which explains our situation. We have been approached by the Canadians and the Americans with regard to our actions and I am in the process of drafting a response to them."
December 22, 2009
thenassauguardian
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
