PRESS CONFERENCE BY TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Inaccurate information in the international community about a terrorist threat in Trinidad and Tobago could cause incalculable harm to the island, John Donaldson, Special Envoy from Trinidad and Tobago told correspondents at Headquarters today.

Such “misinformation” had begun last December, when the United Kingdom had issued a travel advisory suggesting that precautions be taken when visiting Trinidad and Tobago, he said.  Under the heading ‘Terrorism’, the advisory read:  “We believe Trinidad and Tobago to be one of a number of countries where there may be an increased terrorist threat.  British nationals should exercise vigilance, particularly in public places frequented by foreigners such as hotels, restaurants and shopping malls.”

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago had been unable to have the advisory reviewed by London, Mr. Donaldson said.  As a result, two cruise ships had cancelled their regular visits to the island, resulting in a loss to the developing tourism industry.  “The ripple effects are continuing”, he added.

In January, Australia had followed the United Kingdom in issuing a similar warning, and the United Nations had recently placed the country on its Phase

I security listing, he said.  Reacting to those events, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Patrick Manning, had decided to send two ministers to the United Kingdom and Washington, D.C. and himself to the United Nations.

“The visits overseas are intended to shed light on the realities in Trinidad and Tobago.  Our actions are similar to actions taken by most governments, when misinformation brings about anxieties that might affect such States.”  Much of the misinformation came from sources within Trinidad and Tobago, he said, who were unaware of global realities and careless with the truth.  Often, that ignorance was linked to partisan political agendas.

The Government was aware of the dangers the world faced today, and understood that Trinidad was not immune to it, he continued.  It would continue efforts to keep the country safe for all who lived or visited the island, or might invest there.  “Our country depends on trade for its economic development, and on national and international investment to develop its rich natural resources”, he said.  “Trinidad and Tobago must ensure that the tourism industry, with all its promise, prospers.”

For those reasons, he added, the Government had assured the international community that it had spared no effort or expense to make the country safe.  The political climate was now more stable than it had been, the crime rate was lower than most tourist destinations in the hemisphere, and the island was on the road to peace and prosperity.

Such prosperity included single digit unemployment for the first time in decades, record discoveries of oil and gas, housing starts over the past year exceeding the total for the previous five years, and booming investment in the

petrochemical industry, he said.  Trinidad was now among world leaders in exporting methanol, ammonia and other downstream products.

The country was on the verge of unprecedented development, he said, and asked the international community to share its success story.  It also asked the global community to answer to all actions that could lead to economic injury and feed political mischief.

Asked by a correspondent whether any evidence existed that an organization like Al Qaeda had attempted to use the island’s chemicals in developing weapons of mass destruction, Mr. Donaldson said neither the Government nor other friendly nations had received such indications.

Responding to another question about the country's laws on international terrorism, he said it had general laws against illegal activity, plus a terrorism prevention bill on the drawing board.  The bill would reflect the country’s activities in the United Nations and elsewhere in securing all nations from the terrorist threat.

A correspondent then asked Mr. Donaldson whether Sadiq Baksh (who had referred to the island’s escalating crime rate as well as the threat posed by radical Islam there, in Insightmagazine) was still a member of the island's Senate.  He responded that Mr. Baksh had been defeated as a member of Parliament in the last elections, but that the opposition party had appointed him to the Senate.

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