| STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES DR. THE HONOURABLE RALPH E. GONSALVES TO THE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES (OAS) MONDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2001 Hall of the Americas OAS Chairman of the Permanent Council, Mr. Secretary-General, Assistant Secretary General, Ambassadors, other head delegates, staff of the General Secretariat, other esteemed invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, I feel very honoured and privileged to be here to address the Permanent Council of this very important regional body. It is a pleasure to see my good friend, Ambassador Swinburne Lestrade, here in the OAS, as Chairman of this Permanent Council. Swinburne Lestrade and I attended the University of the West Indies at the same time; we lived on the same block in the same hall of residence; we co-authored an article on Caribbean integration; and we have worked tirelessly for regional integration and hemispheric cooperation. Mr. Chairman, the Organization of American States is at a significant juncture in its history as we craft our response to the senseless terrorist attacks carried out on two major cities, Washington, DC and New York, in the United States on September 11, 2001. Our collective physical security has been swiftly catapulted to the fore of our hemispheric agenda, at home and abroad. The recent terrorist acts have undoubtedly had a profound impact on the peoples of this hemisphere and elsewhere. The immediate loss of life, personal injuries on a large scale, psychological trauma, physical damage, economic loss and human pain, suffering and grief, have, among other things, been the terrible consequences. But equally, the evil and barbarism of the terrorists and their sponsors have prompted right-thinking, civilized people, and peace-loving nations to coalesce in an organized, determined effort to cripple, and hopefully defeat terrorism, if not fully, at least in its more malignant and destructive forms. I speak here hopefully, but cautiously, since it appears that there is in the human condition, a permanence of evil jostling for supremacy with that which is good, noble and redemptive. All nations across the globe must henceforth act in a coordinated manner with a defined purpose to ensure that evil does not come anywhere near to triumphing. On the contrary, it is our goal to vanquish it. At a personal level, the heinous nature of the crime against humanity of September 11th , affected me. My eldest sister, Patricia was in Building No. 2 on the 45th floor of the World Trade Center in New York City when the horrendous attack occurred. By the grace of God, she escaped physically unhurt, but mentally traumatized. Fundamentally, the terrorism of September 11th , was a massive blow against the poor worldwide. Much of the resources which were earmarked for poverty alleviation will inevitably be diverted to national security and law and order, narrowly defined. Further, the terrorist assaults on the United States of America have stirred in the breasts of many worldwide, a quest to curtail individual liberties, to pursue racial profiling, to promote religious bigotry and to narrow democratic, and even sovereign, spaces for governance. Some such persons were already pre-disposed to embark upon such a quest; the terrorist acts now induce them to travel upon that unfortunate and wholly wrong path. It therefore pains me greatly to hear some supposedly well-meaning voices with the prattle of excuses for the terrorist assaults upon the United States of America. It is only a distorted mind and flawed logic that can blame the victim as the cause of this massacre and the loss of innocent life. Only an obtuse moral relativism – an acute sophistry which distinguishes not between good and evil – and a cynicism, born of extreme Romanesque comfort or personal degradation, can find any justification whatsoever for these dastardly, and yes, cowardly acts. It is part of our duty here at the Organization of American States (OAS) to make solid judgements founded on high principle as the basis upon which to act in these times of profound crisis. We must eschew the usual tendency in diplomatic circles to have angels dance on the head of a pin. Clarity of thought and firmness of purpose are among the cornerstones for concerted action against terrorism and its consequences. This moment of crisis represents, as always, a moment of, and for, change. It cannot be for us in the OAS or in any other international forum, business as usual. Global terror has no doubt been facilitated by the globalization of the world financial system and the revolution in information technology. A New World Order has to be constructed to confront global terror but the haunting questions must be answered with clarity: "What’s new?" "Which world?" and "Who gives the orders?" Unequivocal answers to these troubling queries must be given by the leaders of nations, in concerted dialogue, across the world. That is part of our current leadership obligations. It cannot be ducked. This Organization, founded 53 years ago, is well-placed to provide substantial leadership in these difficult, troubled times. Its very purpose demands our nations’ and our peoples’ immediate focus:
Each of these worthy objectives must no doubt be pursued with its appropriate emphasis at this precise historical juncture. And in their pursuit we ought not to exclude the participation of any nation in this hemisphere. In this process we ought not to imprison ourselves with ghosts from the past or to permit old battles to prevent or restrain cooperative efforts in the overwhelmingly challenging present. As the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines sees it, our current priority is basically two-fold: first, the regional security of this hemisphere; and secondly, the economic and social stability of the nations within it. In a fundamental sense, these twin issues constitute, in this new period, a quintessential security one with its many-sided dimensions. By this I mean, the maintenance and promotion of regional security from the real threat of terrorism cannot be isolated from day-to-day terrors such as child poverty, HIV/AIDS, natural disasters, illiteracy and the trafficking in illegal drugs. In this hemispheric body, there are 34 member-states of varying sizes and resource endowments. Some can do much more than others in defending and promoting our regional, and, by extension our national security. And from those who are possessed of more bountiful blessings, more is expected. But each member-state, however small in size or limited in material and personnel resources can and should play its part nationally and should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the other member-states in the on-going battle against international terrorism. In St. Vincent and the Grenadines we take our security responsibilities most seriously at the national, regional and hemispheric levels. Since the election of my Government on March 28, 2001, we have implemented the following measures, among other things, on the security front:
Further, we in St. Vincent and the Grenadines have taken even more far-reaching security steps and will continue to cooperate fully with our hemispheric partners on the matter of security. In this regard, the issue of strengthening the collection, analysis and application of intelligence data is of utmost importance in this period. A meeting next Friday, October 04, in Grenada, of the Council of the Regional Security System in the Eastern Caribbean will consider these and other relevant security questions. We in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are satisfied that our hemispheric partners, particularly those who are more engaged in cooperation with us on issues touching upon poverty alleviation, will not allow the understandable pre-occupation currently with national and hemispheric security, narrowly-defined, to curtail or slow their assistance to our policy implementation on programmes of sustainable development and poverty eradication. In this regard, I wish to emphasize that security considerations, broadly-defined, include social development and poverty eradication, structural policies of micro-economic management, trade and investment; good governance and quality public sector management; macro-economic management in monetary and fiscal matters; education and training; improved health facilities particularly for HIV/AIDS; and environmental sustainability. These we consider to be central to President Bush’s "Third Border Initiative" and his administration’s security foci. Mr. Chairman, my very presence and that of my wife in Washington today, indicate that the political leadership in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Caribbean will not be intimidated by terrorists and will not deter us from travel. My country is small and poor but strong in tried and tested eternal values. We affirm that our nation is founded on the belief in the supremacy of God and the freedom and dignity of man. We desire that our society be so ordered as to express our recognition of the principles of democracy, free institutions, social justice and equality before the law. We realize that the maintenance of human dignity presupposes safeguarding the rights of privacy, of family life, of property and the fostering of the pursuit of just economic rewards for labour. Our affirmation, desire, and realization as aforesaid steel us. And as people, we have been beaten on the anvil of experience and forged in the cauldron of struggle. Fear of evil thus does not become us. It is from the many-sourced well-spring of our Caribbean civilization that we draw our strength in confronting evil and embracing nobility. So, if my wife and I are safe to travel by air to Washington and New York from St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Caribbean, so too is it for visitors, tourists, investors and friends from the U.S.A., Canada, Central America and South America to travel to St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Caribbean. Anyone who fears to travel has unwittingly succumbed to the evil of terrorism. And I remind everyone who is listening to me:
Mr. Chairman, last Friday, September 28th, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), an umbrella grouping of six independent states in the Eastern Caribbean plus the British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands and Montserrat, met to consider the economic fall-out from the recent terrorist attacks and to chart the way forward. We have agreed to put before our people certain immediate and medium-term measures for economic and social recovery. On-going consultation has been initiated with the relevant stakeholders and civil society on these measures. We will then shortly be going before our respective Parliaments with these conclusions for this emergency period. They will be communicated to the various international organizations and nations which are inclined to assist or cooperate. Make no mistake the recent terrorist attacks have shaken the world economy and have affected most adversely the poorest countries, including the small and vulnerable economies in the Caribbean. Tourism, the main foreign-exchange earner in the region, has been dealt a severe body blow. And the negative impact of the attacks on the U. S. economy has sent multiple ripples throughout the economies of the region. It is fully anticipated that the net result in the region would be a decline in the overall GDP performance of the economies; international transport, international tourism, financial services, energy, agricultural trade, and high technology trade will experience sharp performance declines, though unevenly; foreign direct investment and international aid flow may slow; and unemployment rates are likely to rise steeply. That is the picture on the negative side. But there is no need to panic. Hemispheric and international collaboration and consensus-building and popular involvement nationally will ensure a prompt revival around sensible policies, so long as our peoples are properly led. In this context, I am calling on those of our brothers and sisters in Latin America and Central America who are seeking in one way or the other to unravel the transitional banana agreement worked out between the European Union and the U.S.A. to reconsider their positions. The small fragile banana economies of Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines simply cannot withstand another shock on bananas to overlay the pre-existing economic difficulties and the destabilizing economic blast consequent upon the criminal events of September 11th . Some of our brothers and sisters in Latin America and Central America cannot reasonably extend a hand of friendship whilst using a banana machete to lop off the very hand which we extend in solidarity with them on a host of other matters. I am confident that they will see that our mutual interests reside in the cessation of their banana war. This Organization needs to enhance the work of the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development to strengthen the economies of its member-states. In this very same spirit of "Together Now," I implore representatives and officials of member-states to be careful in their public comments and private accusations about other member-states without proper investigation and in reckless disregard of facts. We cannot, in any way, afford to compromise our resolve on collaborative efforts by incorrect or ill-timed remarks about actions taken by smaller, weaker economies to strengthen their economic base. For example, there has been much loose talk about this or that Caribbean country being a money-laundering jurisdiction through the offshore financial services. In the current climate this carries the implication that high profile terrorist organizations use such Caribbean jurisdictions to further their nefarious purposes. However, the evidence which has emerged in public points to the fact that established financial institutions in developed countries or developed financial centres outside of the Caribbean have been conduits for the financial dealings of the terrorist groupings. Of course, we in the Caribbean must redouble our efforts to prevent money-laundering. Indeed, this is what we are doing. But, it is unfair to tar the region or jurisdictions therein without reliable evidence. Mr. Chairman, I wish to reiterate that my Government fully supports the initiatives outlined in the resolution recently passed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of OAS member-states. Although St. Vincent and the Grenadines has never been a signatory to the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, in the current situation, we endorse its central proposition,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines thus supports, in principle and practice, the use of force to counter or repel the terrorist acts of aggression. Peace is undoubtedly a treasured value, but cannot be sustained without justice. And justice demands a forceful response to this terror. Mr. Chairman, let me yet again publicly express to the American people and their government the profoundest sympathy and solidarity of the Government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the occasion of the dastardly acts of terrorism committed against them. The American people and their leaders are in our prayers and they can rely on our full support in the fight against international terrorism. The world community, too, can rely on St. Vincent and the Grenadines to fulfil our obligations to the United Nations and its resolutions or decisions on the battle against terrorism. The Government and People of St. Vincent and the Grenadines have been most impressed with the wisdom, patience, calm, heroism, and measured response of the American people and their government. President Bush, as leader of the most powerful nation on earth, has shown exceptional qualities of leadership in this crisis. He has not only inspired his people and those worldwide; he has done more than that. He has drawn out of people that which is good and noble in them, sometimes to draw out that which they do not know that they possess. In doing so, he is travelling a road not frequently travelled by. As Robert Frost poetically reminds us:
As I conclude, I invite all the people of this hemisphere to visit the Caribbean, a zone of peace and tranquility; the natural place to be, even for a short while, in these troubled times. We in the Caribbean have been blessed with an exquisite beauty from nature; we have fashioned solid, independent democratic societies out of the turbulence of slavery, indentureship, colonialism and imperialism; we have solved, spectacularly, a problem which still besets advanced nations, that is, how to build a harmonious society with peoples drawn from different cultures and different lands. Today in the Caribbean we are a unique civilization: We are the songs of the Caribs, Arawaks and the Amerindians; we are the rhythm of Africa; we are the melody of Europe; we are the chords of Asia; and we are the home-grown lyrics of the Caribbean. And we occupy an especial seascape and landscape. The painful and joyous journey which has brought the Caribbean to its current condition is a marvel. We will not allow the terrorists in any shape or form to disfigure it. We pledge our cooperation fully to this Organization and to the magnificent country which hosts it. Each member-state must shoulder its obligations actively. Each should heed the wisdom from the Book of Ecclesiastes:
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