Minister of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs Alva Baptiste has warned against hasty reactions to media reports of Saint Lucia being on a US State Department list of countries whose citizens potentially face travel restrictions.
He has advised against jumping to conclusions, stressing the importance of waiting for official confirmation before reacting to unverified reports.
Baptiste’s caution came in response to a widely publicised New York Times report over the weekend, indicating that Saint Lucia could be included in a “yellow list” of countries that would have 60 days to address perceived deficiencies or their citizens could face restrictions.
There has been speculation that Saint Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment programme could have influenced a decision to put the country on the proposed list.
“You know, those issues are flammable,” Baptiste said at the pre-Cabinet press briefing on Monday. “And when you light the match of opinion near those flammable issues, you know, it could be quite dangerous. So, I think we have to wait to see whether this is true, what exact concerns are expressed, and we are going to respond in a responsible fashion.”
On Saturday, a day after the report was published, the Office of the Prime Minister said the government had not received any formal communication from the US on the matter. On Monday, Baptiste and Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre reiterated that position.
“We’ve gotten no official notification as yet. We’ve made enquiries through our Washington office and they also have said to us they have nothing official, so the only thing we have to go by is an article from a newspaper,” Pierre said.
According to the prime minister, the issue is nothing to gloat about, to laugh at or to believe there is any political mileage to be gained.
Baptise, who is back in the island following an official trip to the US, added: “We have received absolutely no correspondence from the United States of America indicating anything about the yellow list. As a matter of fact, we saw it like most people in the New York Times…. I saw it on Friday when I was about to prepare to leave Washington. At no time during our discussions that yellow list emerged, given the fact that we communicate with the United States via diplomatic channels.”
The New York Times reported that the proposal, which the State Department developed several weeks ago, could change by the time it reaches the White House. It also includes a “red” list of 11 nations whose citizens would be flatly barred from entering the US, and an “orange” list of 10 countries for which travel would be restricted but not cut off.
Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis and Dominica are also on the “yellow” list with Saint Lucia.
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