ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, says the United States should treat the Caribbean with ‘some degree’ of respect rather that threatening the region over the survival of its healthcare systems.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne (File Photo)“If they were to take punitive action because of the presence of Cuban medical personnel in our healthcare systems, it would practically dismantle these systems across the region,” Browne said as he dismissed any notion that Antigua and Barbuda is involved in human trafficking through the use of Cuban doctors and nurses in health systems across the Caribbean and Latin America.
Late last month, United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said Washington was announcing “the expansion of an existing Cuba-related visa restriction policy that targets forced labor linked to the Cuban labor export program.
“This expanded policy applies to current or former Cuban government officials, and other individuals, including foreign government officials, who are believed to be responsible for, or involved in, the Cuban labor export program, particularly Cuba’s overseas medical missions”.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who left Cuba in pursuit of the American dream, said in the statement posted on the US Department of State’s website, that the new policy also applies to the immediate family of those people supporting the Cuban program.
“The department has already taken steps to impose visa restrictions on several individuals, including Venezuelans, under this expanded policy,” he added.
But Browne, speaking on his weekly radio program over the last weekend, said that while St. John’s as a matter of policy, has always stayed away from getting involved in United States policies regarding other countries, he will speak out in cases where these policies affect the country.
“On the issue of their position on the Cuban doctors and nurses, that’s an area where we have to do some realignment to make sure we don’t end up in their cross-hairs. However, the US must understand that these Cuban medical personnel represent the core of our health care services within the Caribbean.
“ We are not involved in any illegal activities, any human trafficking and we totally reject that notion that we are involved in any human trafficking,” Prime Minister Browne told radio listeners, echoing similar sentiments made by St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has made regarding the Cuban health brigade.
Prime Minister Browne said that the Cuban doctors, nurses and technicians are being paid and suggested a willingness to review the payment mechanism as something ‘we can look at’. However, he expressed the view that the attitude of Washington is at ‘face value’, an over-reach.
“This extra-territorial positioning, articulation and threat; I don’t think that this is the route that we ought to go. I believe that CARICOM countries and US officials can have a discussion on how we can structure payments going forward. I don’t see the need for them to threaten us. We are sovereign countries and even though we are small and powerless they ought to respect our sovereignty.
“We are not trying to do anything to hurt our neighbor to the north; in fact, that is the most important relationship for practically all of CARICOM countries and we are inextricably linked in that we have the largest Caribbean diaspora in the United States,” Browne said.
He reiterated that Antigua and Barbuda has no interest in any acrimony with the United States, while at the same time suggesting that the Donald Trump administration should treat the Caribbean states with ‘some degree’ of respect rather that threatening the region over such a critical issue as the survival of their healthcare systems.
“If they were to take punitive action because of the presence of Cuban medical personnel in our healthcare systems, it would practically dismantle these systems across the region,” he
Browne said plans are afoot for Caribbean diplomats to meet with Rubio to discuss the matter and reiterated the need for respectful dialogue.
“We are sovereign countries. Their enemies are not our enemies. We are friends of all, enemies of none.”
