Senior Officials of the United States Embassy in Nassau were called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nassau, this morning to clarify comments made in An Open Letter to the Citizens of The Bahamas from the United States Ambassador which appeared in The Bahamian press. The letter referred to personal threats made against the Ambassador, and could have been interpreted as meaning that there were recent and fresh threats of harm.
 
No threats of harm were reported to the Ministry as late as Monday 23rd December when the Ambassador made a personal call upon the Ministry.  The Ministry also contacted the Commissioner of Police, who advised the Ministry that the United States Embassy had not reported any new or recent threats of harm to him.  Urgent clarification on the matter of the reported threats was therefore requested from the Embassy officials.

 Embassy officials informed the Ministry that the Open Letter was an end-of-year review on matters that had transpired during 2002. Embassy officials have been asked to confirm with the Ambassador that no recent threat has been made against his safety and security, and to advise the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a matter of urgency.
 
 On behalf of the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the Ministry reaffirmed to the Embassy officials that in accordance with its obligations under the Vienna Conventions to ensure the safety and security of members of the diplomatic and consular corp in The Bahamas, the Ministry would want any personal threats of harm to be communicated directly to the Government via the normal diplomatic channels. Such communications would, as usual, receive prompt, urgent and necessary action. The United States Embassy has all of the relevant contact points.

 The Ministry also took the opportunity to remind the United States Embassy officials that the Ministry always respects the comity between friendly nations. In that regard, the Ministry seeks always to protect information on personal threats and other matters shared within meetings in camera to the confines of those confidences, unless otherwise mutually agreed.
 
In accordance with that practice, no public comment will be offered at this time on the substantive issues raised in the Open Letter.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nassau, The Bahamas
27TH December 2002