Free and frank dialogue was the order of the day as the business leaders of Antigua & Barbuda outlined to the visiting US Congressional Dele-gation some of the negative implications of US policy.
Two of the main issues of concern highlighted during Saturday morning's breakfast meeting at the Grand Royal Antiguan Resort were the effects of the Patriot Act and the US reaction to the WTO ruling on Internet gaming, issues that members of the US delegation took to the podium to clarify.
Non-resident Am-bassador to South America Joan Underwood, a senior official of the ABI Financial Group, noted that the Patriot Act made it difficult for the transfer of funds, especially between parents and their sons and daughters studying in the US. This also affected local banks' relationships with US banks which were now reluctant to manage funds from the Caribbean due to the act.
She noted further that the problems surrounding the US appeal of the WTO ruling on Internet gaming needed to be resolved amicably, or "it would have broader implications other than internet gaming" specifically cross boarder supply of services as they relate to the communication industry.
"We ask you to look at it in a broader context and not only in terms of gambling, but as in the restriction of cross boarder supply," Underwood stressed.
Concerning the WTO issue, Republican Congressman John Sweeney said there was "not a unanimous position on Internet gaming in the Congress," but rather it was "an evolving process."
President of the Chamber of Commerce Clarvis Joseph noted that security measures for the ports created undue hardship for the country since officials were forced to spend more money on security.
"When you put these demands to us you throw a curve ball into spending that was not planned for," he told the Congressional Dele-gation.
"For me to participate in your cruise industry, I must buy the security technology for surveillance and I must expend that money and make a choice between a wing at a hospital or a clinic in a village ... and that concerns us," Joseph stressed.
While the president of the Chamber of Commerce said he understood that the members of Congress did not have control over trade negotiations, he suggested that "you seek to influence the outcomes," and "bring the issues to the awareness of trade negotiators."
Democrat Congress-man Gregory Meeks of New York stressed that it was imperative that there be follow-up after these discussions.
On the issue of the illicit drug trade, Congressman Bennie Thompson, the lead democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, invited Alec Vanderpool of the ONDCP to meet with the committee to present the country's concerns on drug trafficking in the region.
"We will continue to ensure that our allies in the Caribbean continue to receive our support," he told the SUN.
"I think from this support you can look forward to a significant expansion of support for the Caribbean and hopefully get more of our colleagues to come and see the problems," Thompson said.
source : Antigua Sun
