FORMER National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest has criticised both a local newspaper and Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell over alleged comments regarding unmanned US surveillance airplanes authorised to fly over the Bahamas.

In a letter sent to the press, Mr Turnquest said remarks attributed to Mr Mitchell were “woefully uninformed” and reflect a Cabinet minister “seemingly ignorant of his role and responsibilities”.

Mr Mitchell is reported as stating the government needs to “find out” what other secrets the former government did not reveal.

He is also crediting as saying he has to “check the facts” surrounding the drone planes.

Mr Turnquest also accused yesterday’s Nassau Guardian editorial of feeding “the irrational xenophobia so often promoted by segments of the present government to obscure their ineptitude and to ‘whip-up’ anti-foreign sentiments among our people”.

The newspaper’s editorial said “foreign agents” are “constantly moving” through Bahamian territory and said many wonder “if there are boundaries to what we will let the Americans do in our country regarding drugs”.

The editorial asked: “Who was being watched?” And questioned if Americans will answer to Mr Mitchell’s inquiry.

In his letter, Mr Turnquest explained: “Bilateral anti-criminal and specifically anti-drug and anti-human trafficking initiatives between our government and law-enforcement agencies with those of the United States of America government have a long and respected history.

“These are joint and or approved surveillance programmes and not ‘spying’ which would suggest unauthorised, and hence illegal, surveillance.”

He said co-operation between the US and the Bahamas has been “critical” to Bahamian anti-crime initiatives – especially with regard to countering the impact of “sophisticated trans-national criminal organisations”.

“Heightened threats to world peace from international criminal cartels and, particularly since September 11 2001, from terrorist organisations and their client states, have resulted in the development of significantly improved surveillance capabilities by agencies of the United States government,” Mr Turnquest said.

“One such capability is the use of unmanned surveillance drone aircraft; an untethered surveillance balloon so to speak. As a partner with the United States and all peace-loving states of the international community, the Bahamas continued to lend assistance to international and bilateral counter criminal initiatives.”

The former minister speculated that Mr Mitchell and the editorial board of The Nassau Guardian would certainly agree that “covert anti-criminal initiatives are frequently necessary if governments and law-enforcement agencies are to identify, locate and stop criminal activity detrimental to the public peace and to the general welfare of the people.

“Similarly, it must be understood by any minister of government that sensitive matters relating to national security and law enforcement are frequently time-sensitive and secret and are not responsibly disclosed to the media and the general public so as to safeguard the lives of dedicated law enforcement personnel.”

As Mr Mitchell is also crediting as stating his ministry has no information about the drone planes, Mr Turnquest advised the foreign affairs minister to “consult” with the prime minister and national security minister and “familiarise” himself with “developments over the past five years” to bring himself up to date.

“I would have expected that this would have been the first order of business for a new minister,” Mr Turnquest said, also pointing out he “takes issue” with a portion of The Nassau Guardian’s editorial which speaks of a need for small countries to “be careful when agreeing to programmes run by big countries”.

“Let’s be reasonable, if we could afford and if we had the capacity to monitor and control sophisticated radar surveillance of the entire Bahamas, we would not need to enter into bilateral arrangements with anyone to facilitate such surveillance,” Mr Turnquest said. “We are indeed fortunate that the US government is interested to make this level of surveillance available in the Bahamas.

“We are not so naïve as to believe that the US government does this only from the goodness of their hearts. Bahamian governments recognise fully the considerable benefit gained by the US government and its law enforcement agencies from the conduct of such exercises in a friendly country.”

Mr Turnquest continued: “As regards your query as to what the US will tell the minister, the minister does not need to ask the US anything, he must simply inform himself from the records of the Bahamas government. He might then use that information to inform his future discussions with US government representatives going forward. This is the normal conduct of government business and this is how diplomacy works.”