PM: Marli Street barriers issue ‘blown out of proportion’

Prime Minister Patrick Manning said yesterday the issue of barriers on Marli Street was “unfortunate-ly...being blown out of proportion.”

While insisting that citizens had the right to complain, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said the situation, (in which citizens are agitating for the removal) “should not have gotten to where it is.” He said Government had a responsibility to protect all foreign missions in the country. Manning also said that if Government, in the face of the public hue and cry, were to have the barriers removed  and there was an incident, the government would be responsible. “And that is a liability that we certainly don’t want, as it has international obligations,” he noted.

Speaking at the post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall,  Manning said there was “nothing to be gained” by commenting on the view that it was the US attempt to bully Caribbean states to withdraw support for the International Criminal Court that led to the issue “being blown out of proportion.” He said if the embassy felt that the barriers should remain in place, “the government would be hard-pressed to deny that request.” However, the Prime Minister, when asked whether US ambassador Roy Austin was the competent authority to say — as he did on Wednesday — that the barriers would not be removed, stressed that it was the government of Trinidad and Tobago in exercise of its sovereign function which makes such a decision.  He added that from time to time the arrangement of the barriers is reviewed and it was up for review at this time. “We will see if the authorities are of the same view now, as they were at that time (when the decision was taken to leave the barriers after September 11),” he said.

Asked whether he was going to be part of a Caricom delegation  to persuade US President George Bush to restore military aid, Manning stated that if he was invited to join such a meeting, he would. He said that issue was raised after he left Montego Bay. He said it was felt that direct discussion between Caricom and the US Government, would be useful in helping relations between the countries. On Austin’s statements that not enough was being done to address the crime situation, Manning said he held a different view. But, he noted, he always took in consideration any opinion from reputable sources.