By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Perry Christie said yesterday he was surprised to know Baha Mar developer Sarkis Izmirlian has been seeking to meet him concerning getting the $3.5 billion resort completed and opened.

Mr Izmirlian told The Tribune on Sunday that he had not heard from Mr Christie since last summer, even though he has submitted proposals geared toward opening the resort and putting “Bahamians back to work”.

“I will have to call Mr Izmirlian,” Mr Christie told reporters at his office yesterday where he also reiterated his optimism that the resort is close to opening, although he provided no new details about when this might happen.

“I was unaware that Mr Izmirlian was trying to see me. I didn’t know that until I saw (Baha Mar’s former president Thomas Dunlap) on Friday night. He didn’t tell me (Mr Izmirlian) was trying to see me. He told me they had reignited their interest. I was surprised to read in the papers this morning that they’ve been trying to reach me. Clearly I’m unaware of that and the officials in the ministry are unaware of that.”

The disengagement between the two has been a “natural sort of development,” Mr Christie said, one where the developer “took the position that he no longer was talking (to the provisional liquidators) as the matter was before the courts.

“Receiver managers were appointed to join the provisional liquidators and for a time Baha Mar was on side and then the provisional liquidators and the receiver managers continue to take certain positions where as we all know the staff was reduced significantly and it is where we are now.

“And so for me it is of great interest to see that Mr Izmirlian is interested and I most certainly would endeavour to communicate with him to see what that means because, as you would appreciate, it has nothing to do with the government in terms of this matter which is in the hands of the provisional liquidators and the receiver managers and the bank so really the government as a stakeholder would have an interest in being able to facilitate the resumption of construction to the point where completion.

“And, of course, you know we are hosting the Inter-Development Bank in March and we would want the convention facilities completed for that so as to be able to host successfully the conference. These are matters we are very active in pursuing.”

Mr Christie dismissed criticism from FNM members who argue that his optimism has been misplaced.

“They are the opposition and that is their right to do that,” he said. “The Prime Minister of the Bahamas must make a determination as to whether he can speak with optimism and hope. The Prime Minister would know how close we are and what else must take place before we can say we are at the point where construction will resume.”

As he pursues a resolution involving Chinese stakeholders, Mr Christie reiterated his commitment to ensuring that at least 70 per cent of the workers who will work on the Baha Mar site are Bahamians.

“I would expect that the construction site to reflect the agreement … a Bahamian to Chinese ration of 70 to 30,” he said. “I expect that a lot of dynamic activity is to be taking place with respect to Baha Mar. I have indicated to the Bahamian public I’m very hopeful, very optimistic that we are close to some form of resolution. I don’t want to go beyond that even though I’m in constant dialogue with the relevant parties.”