Gaston Browne is again blaming the United States for having restricted our visas on a “false premise.” He says that the U.S., not his own government, is responsible for the visa hardship.
He told ABS that U.S. State Department officials said they “regretted that such action was taken based on a false premise,” Antigua Newsroom reports.
Browne offered no evidence to back up his claim.
With the visa restrictions such a bitter political issue in the last days of his campaign for another 5 years in power, Browne is blaming the United States for a false understanding, and not himself for the corruption of CIP that devalued all Antigua and Barbuda passports.
He told ABS that his government “is engaged in ongoing discussions with the United States and is hopeful that a partial visa restriction affecting its citizens will be lifted when it comes up for review in June.”
“We would have spoken to members in the State Department … and they regretted that such action was taken based on a false premise,” Browne said told ABS.
He did not substantiate his claim. The State Department has said nothing.
(Let’s look at Browne’s logic: If the State Department really admitted having restricted the visas of people from an entire country based on its own “false premise,” and that it truly “regretted” its mistake, would Browne not be justifiably angry about it?
If Browne is telling the truth, why would he meekly be “hopeful” that the State Department will wait until June – after his snap election – to “partially” correct its error?)
In that same interview, Browne claimed that his government has been “totally compliant” with world standards.
Browne’s ambassador to Washington, Ronald Sanders, has been focused of late on Guyana.
“We remain hopeful that in June, when the restrictions would have expired, there will be no renewals … and that we will return to the status quo,” he said, according to Antigua Newsroom.
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