Canadian newspaper raps Golding on 'Dudus' affair

THE United States White House and State Department declined yesterday to confirm or deny reports out of Washington that a career diplomat has been identified as ambassador-designate to Kingston.

But impeccable Observer sources insisted that the person had been identified, though not announced, and that a career diplomat was deemed to be more desirable than a political appointee, in the frosty environment caused by the stand-off over Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding, flanked by Charge d Affaires at the United States Embassy in Kingston Isiah Parnell, and mission director of the United States Agency for International Development, Karen Hilliard, leaves the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston yesterday following the launch of the US$2-million OBRA project, which is aimed at improving the employment prospects of the islands unattached youth. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

"A career diplomat has the requisite skill to manoeuvre in a situation where there is disagreement with a foreign government. They are almost always deployed to trouble spots," the Observer source said."By appointing a career foreign service officer, the Obama administration also avoids the long delay that could be involved with Congressional approval of a political appointee," another knowledgeable source said.

The US was still playing its cards close to chest on the appointment of an ambassador to Kingston to succeed Brenda LaGrange who ended her tour of duty a lengthy 16 months ago.

There have been suggestions -- denied by the US -- that the non-appointment of a replacement was linked to US unhappiness over the Jamaican Government's refusal to hand over Coke, the Tivoli Gardens strongman, who is wanted in the States on alleged gun-and drug-trafficking charges.

White House spokesman Ben Chang would neither confirm nor deny the reports when contacted by the Observer, saying only that "there is nothing new or different", to what he previously told the newspaper, that an ambassador would be named as soon as an appointment was made.

State Department spokesman Michael Tran said he could not go beyond the position of the White House as "such matters are handled by the Office of the White House".

And Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding has found a detractor in the influential Canadian newspaper, the Globe and Mail, which described Golding as "unwise" in a recent editorial on the issue. It called on the Jamaican Government to "act now and turn the extradition request for Mr Coke over to the courts".

"The refusal of Jamaica's prime minister to extradite a man Washington describes as one of the world's 'most dangerous' drug kingpins is unwise," the conservative paper wrote.

"Up until now, the Caribbean island of 2.7 million has won praise from the US for its co-operation in signing off on extradition requests for those who face charges for serious crimes, helping to build the country's reputation as an ally in the hemispheric battle against drug trafficking and gang-led violent crime.

"However, the stalling over the August 2009 request to extradite Christopher 'Dudus' Coke has caused a rift in the relationship with Washington. The incident threatens to expose political corruption in the Government of Prime Minister Bruce Golding, underscoring the reality that criminal gangs and politics are still linked in Jamaica, as the two main political parties rely on 'garrison dons' or heads of urban communities to produce votes during elections," the newspaper said.

It noted that in a major address in 2007, "Mr Golding pledged to tackle crime and corruption -- the island's two most significant social problems. Three years later, his government's ambitious initiatives remain stalled in Parliament, and five anti-crime proposals have yet to be debated."

-- With additional reporting by Harold Bailey in New York