Prime Minister Gaston Browne used very strong language to described a group of Antigua and Barbuda nationals in the United States, whom he accused on engaging in a smear campaign against the country.
The prime minister was speaking of a small group of individuals who picketed outside the building in Washington, USA, where he and five other Caribbean leaders were meeting with US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio on Tuesday.
“What is happening is that senior members of the UPP are collaborating with foreign mercenaries to destroy the image of the country. I happen to be the current prime minister so they believe that by tearing me down they will be able to undermine the prospects of the country, and, they are doing this for power. They are using the Alfa Nero as a ‘red herring’ but we all know that the US$40 million which the vessel was sold for have been properly accounted for by the Ministry of Finance,” PM Browne explained.
He noted that the UPP and others’ first claim was that US$10 million was missing from the US$40 million, but after an accounting of the amount was provided by the Ministry of Finance and the Treasury, the claim changed to suggest that the vessel was sold for US$50 million instead. However, that claim has been dismissed with the man who purchased the Alfa Nero issuing a signed affidavit confirming that he paid US$40 million and not US$50 million.
“What they are doing now, having lost the moral argument, they are literally now engaged in a smear campaign and whereas there are individuals who may believe that they are targeting me exclusively, it is really the country that they are tearing down. For example, they were trying to suggest to US officials, including the Secretary of State, based on their protestation, that we have relationships with China, Cuba and Venezuela that will undermine US interests. They even had a mobile electronic billboard to that effect,” the prime minister reported.
He said these individuals were acting against the interest of Antigua and Barbuda and that their actions ought to be condemned in the strongest manner by men and women of good conscience here in the country.
“They have been protesting using lies and disinformation and it is clear that they are mercenaries, paid by the UPP and those who are funding the UPP. It is clear that the UPP has aligned with Russian interests and are taking their money,” he suggested.
