- Dr. Luncheon, team return from successful overseas trip

Georgetown, GINA, February 12, 2004

“In both countries the authorities highlighted the state of bilateral relationships and these are on sound ground, and they were of the expectation that bilateral relations would continue improving in the future.”
These are the sentiments of the United States and Canadian Governments with regard to diplomatic relations with Guyana. These views were communicated to a Government delegation during a recent visit to those countries.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Cabinet Secretary and Secretary to the Defence Board Dr. Roger Luncheon, Minister of Labour Dr. Dale Bisnauth and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Gail Teixeira visited Canada and the US last week.
The team met senior officials from the Canadian External Affairs Ministry, Ottawa, as well as senior officials from the United States Agency for International Development, the United States State Department, the Department of Defence, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.
This is the latest in a programme embarked upon by Government to enhance relations with the Guyanese diaspora.
At his weekly post-Cabinet Media briefing, Dr. Luncheon responded to the US and Canada’s views on the revocation of the applications by Minister of Home Affairs Ronald Gajraj and Minister of Foreign Trade and International cooperation Clement Rohee’s visas to Canada and the US respectively.
He noted that Guyana’s relations with these countries do not exclusively revolve around these Ministers and this was reflected in the statements conveyed to the Guyana delegation.
Dr. Luncheon said the Guyana delegation did not leave with a mandate to persuade the Governments of the United States and Canada to undo their actions, but rather the issue was about clarification. However, the official interactions were to safeguard and attended to the bilateral relations Guyana has with these countries.
The HPS noted that it was communicated by both the US and Canada to the Guyana Government delegation that the revocation of both Minister Gajraj and Rohee’s visas were well within boundaries and does not imply a link to the allegations.
“The Canadians insisted that although they are aware that the timing suggested that, this action of theirs has nothing to do with the nature of a sanction. In the US, the authorities took a similar line recognising, as they said, the seriousness of the allegations and their interest in the way the matter will be pursued,” he said.
On the issue of the US Embassy’s revocation of Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation Clement Rohee’s visa application, Dr. Luncheon noted that the team was told in Washington that the application is still being processed. The authorities professed to be aware of this, he said, but urged Guyana’s understanding in the context of the vast array of visa applications being reviewed in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The visit began in Canada with several media interactions, which continued throughout the trip.
A pre-Republic anniversary update on current issues in Guyana was conducted at the Medgar Evers College Auditorium, 1650 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, New York and one at Tropical Gardens, 120-05 Atlantic Avenue, Richmond Hill, Queens, over the last weekend.
Dr. Luncheon noted that the Community meetings were well attended, especially the Community meeting at the Guyanese Embassy in Washington DC.