I wish to start by saying to you how much the Prime Minister and the Government of The Bahamas appreciate the contributions which you have all made during the past year for the success of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at home and abroad.
 This is not an easy time this Christmas, with the knowledge that the citizens of The Bahamas who live in Bimini are suffering with the awful thought and memory that 11 of their fellow citizens died tragically in a plane crash a few short days ago.  Our thoughts are with them at this time.
 We also recall the trauma f the third natural disaster to hit our country, and Grand Bahama in particular in October of this year.  Some people today in Grand Bahama are still living in temporary shelter and the economy of the island is seeking to recover.
 In each of these tragedies the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was central to the relief efforts of the Government.  In so many cases, we had to call on our international partners for assistance and their help ahs been forthcoming and generous.
 We have too have had our moments in the spotlight as a Ministry, where the Ministry itself became the focus as opposed to our mission and role.  Some people were bothered by it, but you will have these moments and one must be philosophical about it.  That is life.
 In the main though the Ministry has remained focus and on target in its primary function, which is to   communicate the policies and programmes of the Government and people of The Bahamas to the outside world and their views and ideas to us.
 I thank the Permanent Secretary and the entire staff for their dedication to this enterprise.
 There are two major events on the horizon for us next year.  One is the early opening of an Embassy in Cuba; the other is the opening of the Embassy in China.  Both projects are well on their way.  As you know an Ambassador for Cuba has been announced, and we expect to announce an Ambassador for China in the near future.
 There will be other changes coming within the Ministry within the next year.
 The point I wish to make then as we review the accomplishments over the past year is that change is constant thing, and no organization can hope to survive without change.  The people of this country have changed in the generation that has passed since we became an independent country. The expectations of the operations have changes.  There are greater and larger demands, the demands are more sophisticated.  Those of us who call ourselves public servants will have to make extraordinary efforts to keep up with the demands of our country.
 It is also clear that we face an ever more complex geo political environment.  Our citizens are unhappy about our relations with Caricom.  We have the United States on the one hand whose policies are not often transparent or clear but who dominate the political thinking in the country.  The U.S. is generally a force for good and they remain our closest partner, but on the other side of our country is Cuba.  The United States is engaged in an ideological fight with Cuba and we have nothing to do with that.  It is clear what our values are.  We support the principle of sovereign integrity, and the right to self determination which includes the people of Cuba.  But we not interfere in the affairs of other countries.  Our role is to live at peace with all of our nations in this hemisphere. And we do not have the luxury of being in a position to lecture others on how they ought to conduct their national lives.
 Our foreign policy then is of necessity a practical one, and we do not and will not engage in any high profile fights amongst neighbours which are simply neon of our business. At the same time, the art f our diplomacy is to wade through these treacherous and difficult ideological and geographical waters.  Our skills will be required more than ever in 2006.
 But 2006 is still some years away.  In the mean time, it is left to us to enjoy what is left of this year, to celebrate the accomplishments and reflect on what we did not achieve and dedicate ourselves to new achievements.
 It has been my honour to serve and if I continue to serve next year, I look forward to working with you.  All the best to you in the New Year and have a happy holiday.