St. Maarten Private Eye

From SMN News

Philipsburg: --- Despite the effort placed at making sure the island achieves what the people opted for in the 2000 referendum, there is still no fix date as to when separate status will be achieved. This was announced by leader of government Sarah Wescot Williams at yesterday’s press briefing. “Very soon leaders of both parties would have to sit down and have a strategic review on achieving the country status for St. Maarten.” She said these conclusions were made based on their expectation of future discussions which is yet to take place. Wescot Williams said that political leaders has to sit down and look at where they are in the process and where this procedure is going and if what is ahead of them is what should be for the island and its people. She said over the course of time the spirit of the accord of November 12 2006 has been lost and the discussions today are different to what had taken place in 2006. She said at that time they had trust and felt that there was a premise that the Dutch would have given their full cooperation to the islands with the status change.
Wescot Williams said that already the leaders of the two parties as well as the island council have discussed this matter informally since they have looked at the process. The idea right now is to pick up from they left off beginning from the motion which was passed in the island council a few months ago.

There is no sight of a new date for the status change even though we heard of 2010, or 20012 and 2013 these dates is very ambitious.” Wescot Williams said that the island have come to the conclusion that there is no agreed upon date for the island to gain its status change and this is still not on the table for discussions.

The island leader said based on how the process is handled to date there is a feeling of loss confidence and the process she said is delayed to the island’s detriment. Wescot Williams said that the process is creating frustration and they have foreseen major hurdles that are yet to be crossed. Those hurdles she said includes the financial supervision and most probably the draft police law which still has to be discussed.

Wescot Williams said that there has been much talk about debt relief. She said that she heard the saying that the islands should count their blessings with this relief. “In my opinion this is not a grant given to the islands instead it’s the rights of the islands. She said when reference on the 2.2 billion euros which is for debt relief she would expound on what would be for St. Maarten especially now that a date is not on the table.

The island leader also said they intend to discuss the draft resolution on financial supervision at Monday’s island council meeting. She said she has taken note of the comments made by Island Councilman George Pantophlet concerning the resolution which will be tabled in the Netherlands on July 11. Wescot Williams also explained that based on the November 2006 accord they have an obligation to submit the drafts to the island council and the executive council has no intention to hide the document. However, she also took note of the questions Pantophlet sent to media which she said are not the ones that were submitted to the executive council.

She admitted that the Central Government already sent on the final drafts of the resolution a few weeks ago. Those drafts had to go through the administrative procedure because St. Maarten had submitted 14 drafts on financial supervision .Because there were so many drafts St. Maarten had to review what was in the final resolution and the executive council she said needed an advice on the resolution which they have received and have agreed upon. The island leader said now that they did all that had to be done the drafts would be presented to the island council even though they are in summer recess.

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