Insanally: Deportee pact with US close
-but no deal yet on assistance
Stabroek News
January 9, 2004
Minister of Foreign Affairs Rudy Insanally says that an agreement with the United States setting out the procedures for the return of deportees to Guyana is near completion.
"The substantial negotiations have been finalised [and] we ought to be signing an agreement in the very near future," Insanally told reporters yesterday, at a press briefing to highlight his Ministry's projections for 2004.
Insanally said he hoped that the general terms of the agreement could be finalised after the upcoming Special Summit of the Americas in Mexico.
But he added that one issue which remained unresolved was the US assistance for resettlement of deportees who may have left Guyana at a young age and may as a result have no remaining relatives or strong ties to the country.
"We are still very anxious to discuss assistance in some form or the other," Insanally said.
One of the provisions of the agreement is expected to be defined procedures to be followed when people convicted of crimes are being returned to Guyana while not being in possession of valid travel documents.
Over 500 Guyanese were deported to Guyana in 2003 from various countries, and there is concern about the danger this trend poses to the country's internal security.
Nearly one third of the figure, many from the United States, were deported after serving prison sentences for drug-related offences or other serious crimes.
Deportees were said to be involved in a new more violent type of crime that has emerged over the last year.