The Tribune

FOREIGN Affairs minister Fred Mitchell said the government is seeking political understanding from the United States concerning pending sanctions concerning trafficking in persons.

Mr Mitchell said the TIP matter was one of many slated agenda items during the US-Bahamas Partnership Dialogue, a two-day forum that ended yesterday.

Talks were concluded with the signing of an ammendment to the Letter of Agreement on Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement, which provides $2.1 million in US government funding to support activities and programmes designed to bolster Bahamian law enforcement and counter-narcotics efforts.

In a presidential memorandum, American president Barack Obama listed The Bahamas among nations considered a major part in the drug trade. Also included in the list of major drug transit and/or major illicit drug producing countries were: Afghanistan, Bolivia, Colombia, Haiti, and Jamaica.

Speaking to the press at Cabinet yesterday, Mr Mitchell said there will be a follow-up video conference to discuss the TIP matter within the next few months.

“We raised the [tafficking in persons] matters because that is a critical thing right now for us. We do not understand why The Bahamas would be facing sanctions on this issue.”

The Bahamas faces sanctions from the American government for its tier two ranking on the trafficking watch list for a third consecutive year.

Sanctions could come in the form of blocked loans from international agencies, such as the Inter-American Development Bank, according to Mr Mitchell.

According to the 2012 Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report, the country’s post has remained unchanged because of its failure to identify victims or investigate and prosecute human traffickers.

Speaking to the press at Cabinet yesterday, Mr Mitchell said there will be a follow-up video conference to discuss the matter within the next few months.

The signing concluded with the issuance of an official Joint Statement outlining the achievements of the Partnership Dialogue and agreeing upon next steps, including a meeting in the Spring of 2013 to review progress and continue to develop the initiatives explored during the past two days.

On hand for the signing ceremony yesterday were Prime Minister Perry Christie, Minister of National Security Dr Bernard Nottage and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell.

The head of the US delegation was Deputy Assistant Secretary for the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Liliana Ayalde.